Russia vs South Korea
Russia is 170 times larger than South Korea. South Korea would fit into Russia about 170 times.
RussiaSouth KoreaRussia moved onto South Korea · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
170×
Russia is 170× the area of South Korea.
 Russia |  South Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 170× the area | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 | 100,295 km²#107 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 14 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 2.78× the population | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 | 51,684,564#29 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySouth Korea: 61.3× the density | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 | 515 / km²#16 of 194 |
| Urban populationSouth Korea: 1.08× the urban share | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 | 81%#39 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateRussia: 1.89× the births per woman | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 | 0.75 per woman#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthRussia: 0.02 points higher | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateRussia: 1.79× the birth rate | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 | 4.7 per 1,000#191 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.77× the death rate | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Russia: 6.8 points higher | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 | 10.2%#192 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65South Korea: 2.5 points higher | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 | 20.3%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSouth Korea: 3.1 per 1,000 higher | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySouth Korea: 10.2 years longer | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 | 83.6 years#11 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRussia: 1.78× the infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | 2.3 per 1,000 births#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.96× the doctors per person | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 | 2.61 per 1,000#71 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentSouth Korea: 1.85× the university enrolment | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 | 111.9%#3 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSouth Korea: 0.105 higher | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 | 0.937#19 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSouth Korea: 2.37× the income per person | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 | $37,880#29 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 1.37× the economy | $2.56T2025 | $1.87T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)South Korea: 1.27× the output per person | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 | $63,125#29 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthThe same | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 6.6 points higher | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSouth Korea: 1.29× the unemployment | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Russia: 0.1 higher | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureThe same | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 2.4 points higher | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 | 23.4% of jobs#51 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSouth Korea: 2.4 points higher | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSouth Korea: 0.4 points higher | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSouth Korea: 27.6 points higher | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 | 45.8% of GDP#54 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 2.88× the military spending | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 | 2.6% of GDP#38 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSouth Korea: 1.04× the share online | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 | 98%#13 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 | 173 per 100#13 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSouth Korea: 1.27× the forest share | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 | 64% of land#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.23× the CO₂ per person | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 | 11.4 t a year#15 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySouth Korea: 0.1 points higher | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 | 3.6%#161 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)South Korea: 1.89× the air pollution | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 | 21.9 µg/m³#71 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSouth Korea: 6.2 points higher | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 | 17.7% of land#95 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSouth Korea: 5.9 points higher | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 | 13.3% of land#78 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSouth Korea: 20.8× the water stress | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 | 85.2%#21 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSouth Korea: 2.77× the rain and snow | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 | 1,274 mm#71 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySouth Korea: 1.86 higher | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 | +0.92#42 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSouth Korea: 1.90 higher | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 | +0.92#36 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 13.6× the homicide rate | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 | 0.5 per 100,000#137 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation | Presidential republic |
| Member of | G20, BRICS | OECD, G20 |
| Capital | Moscow | Seoul |
| Currency | Russian ruble (RUB) | South Korean won (KRW) |
| Official languages | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai | Korean, Korean Sign Language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +7 | +82 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Russia sits at about 66° N and is stretched to 6.06× its true area; South Korea at 36° N is stretched to 1.54×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to South Korea. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Russia bigger than South Korea?
- Yes. Russia is 170 times larger than South Korea. Russia covers 17,075,400 km² and South Korea covers 100,295 km².
- How many times does South Korea fit into Russia?
- About 170 times: Russia has 170× the area of South Korea.
- Why do Russia and South Korea look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Russia is drawn about 6.06× its true area there and South Korea about 1.54×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Korea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Russia or South Korea?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 51,684,564. Density: Russia 8.4 per km², South Korea 515 per km².
- Which is richer, Russia or South Korea?
- By gross national income per person, South Korea: $37,880 against $15,960 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.37× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Russia or South Korea?
- In South Korea: life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years, against 73.4 — 10.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Russia and South Korea have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Russia: semi-presidential republic; South Korea: presidential republic.