Compare Countries
Select up to 4 countries for side-by-side comparison
Introduction
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Background | <p>The first recorded kingdom (Choson) on the Korean Peninsula dates from approximately 2300 B.C. Over the subsequent centuries, three main kingdoms -- Kogoryo, Baekche, and Silla -- were established on the Peninsula. By the 5th century A.D., Kogoryo emerged as the most powerful, with control over m... | <p>The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the cla... |
Geography
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea | Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan |
| Area | 99,720 sq km | 3,287,263 sq km |
| Climate | temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters | varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north |
| Terrain | mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south | upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north |
| Natural resources | coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential | coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), antimony, iron ore, lead, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land |
| Elevation | Halla-san 1,950 m | Kanchenjunga 8,586 m |
People and Society
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 51,486,343 (2025 est.) | 1,419,316,933 (2025 est.) |
| Languages | 1 | Hindi 43.6%, Bengali 8%, Marathi 6.9%, Telugu 6.7%, Tamil 5.7%, Gujarati 4.6%, Urdu 4.2%, Kannada 3.6%, Odia 3.1%, Malayalam 2.9%, Punjabi 2.7%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.1%, other 5.6%; English is the subsidiary official language but is the most important one for national, political, and comm... |
| Religions | Protestant 17%, Buddhist 16%, Catholic 6%, none 60% (2021 est.) | Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.) |
| Age structure | 11.3% (male 3,024,508/female 2,873,523) | 24.5% (male 181,115,052/female 163,647,028) |
| Median age | 47 years (2025 est.) | 30.1 years (2025 est.) |
| Population growth rate | -0.09% (2025 est.) | 0.72% (2025 est.) |
| Birth rate | 4.29 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 15.91 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Death rate | 6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.4 years (2024 est.) | 68.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Literacy | NA | 81.7% (2023 est.) |
Government
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Government type | presidential republic | federal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Seoul | New Delhi |
| Independence | 15 August 1945 (from Japan) | 15 August 1947 (from the UK) |
| Constitution | several previous; latest passed by National Assembly 12 October 1987, approved in referendum 28 October 1987, effective 25 February 1988 | previous 1935 (pre-independence); latest draft completed 4 November 1949, adopted 26 November 1949, effective 26 January 1950 |
| Legal system | mixed system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought | common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts |
Economy
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | — | — |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | — | — |
| GDP - real growth rate | — | — |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.32% | 4.95% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.68% | 4.22% |
| Industries | electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel | textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals |
| Agriculture - products | — | — |
| Exports | $831.89 billion | $827.41 billion |
| Imports | $755.49 billion | $918.33 billion |
| Public debt | 49 % of GDP | 46.5% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Communications
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 89.2 million (2024 est.) | 1.15 billion (2024 est.) |
| Internet users | 97% (2023 est.) | 56% (2022 est.) |
Military and Security
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 3 % of GDP | 2 % of GDP |
| Military and security forces | Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea: Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN, includes Marine Corps, ROKMC), Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF)<br><br>Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: Korea Coast Guard; Ministry of Interior and Safety: Korean National Police Agency ... | Indian Armed Forces (IAF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard<br><br>Ministry of Home Affairs: Central Police Organization, Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National... |
Transportation
| Field |
South Korea |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 92 (2025) | 315 (2025) |
| Railways | 3,979 km (2016) | 65,554 km (2014) |
| Roadways | — | — |