The Most Similar Countries to South Korea

South Korea Similar Countries Map

Have you ever wondered how similar or different two countries are? The Country Similarity Index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries. The index is a statistically-based way to measure this. It weighs equally five major aspects of countries: their demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography. The methodology is exactly the same for each country. The research combines 1,000 different data points to arrive at the conclusions.

South Korea Similar Countries Diagram

Top 10 Countries Most Similar to South Korea

South Korea is an East Asian country that borders the North Pacific Ocean. Very few countries are like it. The four most similar countries all border the Pacific Ocean. Their agricultural lands produce a large amount of rice. In addition, these four countries usually have many high-rises and skyscrapers in their large cities. They are also all relatively mountainous countries. Furthermore, these countries tend to have many irreligious people.

  1. Japan annexed South Korea in 1910 and occupied the country until the end of World War II. The demographics and geography of these countries are significantly similar. Both also share similar sports culture, being most interested in baseball and soccer, while also excelling in the Olympics. However, Korea is more westernized. It has a large percentage of Christians. Furthermore, most Korean males are circumcised, unlike in Japan. The countries both have highly developed infrastructure, however Japan drives on the left and uses different electrical outlets and voltage.
  2. Taiwan was another protectorate of Japan until the end of World War II. South Korea and Taiwan are densely-populated mountainous lands whose agriculture is primarily rice, although Taiwan is more tropical. In addition, the countries have a similar standard of living. Taiwan drives on the right, like South Korea, but it uses Type A, B electrical outlets like Japan.
  3. North Korea is the only other country that speaks Korean and uses its unique writing system, Hangul. However, there are huge political and technological differences between South Korea and North Korea. While South Korea is a two-party democracy, North Korea is a one-party authoritarian dictatorship. In addition, North Korea is far poorer and has less developed infrastructure. Still, considering that the countries share the same peninsula, their geography is similar, although North Korea is less densely populated.
  4. China has had a great cultural influence on South Korea due to its proximity. In addition, both countries are not especially religious, but they do practice the same school of Buddhism. However, South Korea also has a significant population of Christians. In addition, South Korea is more developed than China and their languages are completely different. One big difference is that China has a lot more desert and also a wider variety of biomes. Like North Korea, the country is controlled by a one-party authoritarian government, but it is less extreme.
  5. Slovenia is the only European country in the top five, although it has a similar score to other European countries, since they generally have similar technology and climate. Both countries are not especially religious, but both have many Christians. Unlike Japan, South Korea adopted standard Continental European infrastructure since they drive on the right, use the standard railroad gauge, and have Type C, F electrical outlets with a similar voltage.
  6. Singapore, 7. France, 8. Germany, 9. Bulgaria, 10. Spain

Related: Countries with the Most Similar Food to South Korea

Top 10 Countries Least Similar to South Korea

All of the countries least similar to South Korea are unsurprisingly located in hot desert climates. In addition, they are all predominately Muslim countries as well. They do not have well developed infrastructure and have far more conservative laws than South Korea’s. Four of the five least similar countries are located in Africa.

  1. Niger has the youngest population in the world. It also has one of the highest birthrates in the world. South Korea is on the opposite end of the spectrum in these statistics. Furthermore, Niger is a landlocked, sparsely populated desert country, in contrast to South Korea. Still, Niger’s government is more democratic than some other similar countries on this list.
  2. Somalia is an African country that borders the Indian Ocean. It is an anarchic country with poorly developed infrastructure, due to civil war. It also has a hot dry climate in contrast to South Korea’s wetter and cooler climate. The country lacks any railroads and has few vehicles per capita. However, both South Korea and Somalia have a lot of coastline.
  3. Yemen is also far different from South Korea, despite being located on the Asian continent. It is a war-torn conservative Muslim country that, unlike other countries on the Arabian Peninsula, is poorly developed as a result. Due to civil war, its government is anarchic. The country has very loose gun laws and the second most guns per capita in the world. The country’s desert landscape is quite barren and has little forest cover.
  4. Sudan is located in the Sahara Desert. It is another conservative Muslim country, like the first three on the list. It recently lost some territory to the newly formed country of South Sudan. Their governments are especially dissimilar, since Sudan has more far more conservative laws and less rule of law.
  5. Chad is another African country near Sudan and Niger. It is landlocked and mostly barren desert. However, both countries have a significant Christian population, although Chad is mostly Muslim. There is also some similar infrastructure since both countries use Type C electrical outlets and drive on the right. Still, it is much less developed than South Korea.
  6. Mali, 7. Afghanistan, 8. Eritrea, 9. Mauritania, 10. South Sudan

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South Korea is like if Japan was more like North Korea

South Korea’s most similar country is Japan, according to the Index. However, Japan is still far different from South Korea in many aspects. Their languages are not closely related. Since North Koreans speak Korean and use the same writing system as South Korea, North Korea is one country that has many aspects of South Korea that Japan lacks. Unlike Japan, North Korea also uses similar infrastructure standards as South Korea. Both countries drive on the right, use Type C, F electrical outlets, and have standard gauge railroad tracks.

Full Ranking of Countries and Territories Most Similar to South Korea

All data accurate as of 2020.

South Korea Similar Countries Graph

Country Superlatives

Most Similar Demographics: Taiwan
Most Similar Culture: North Korea
Most Similar Government: Taiwan
Most Similar Infrastructure: Netherlands
Most Similar Geography: Japan

Least Similar Demographics: Niger
Least Similar Culture: Niger
Least Similar Government: Yemen
Least Similar Infrastructure: South Sudan
Least Similar Geography: Botswana

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