Reports
Deep dives into the world's countries, told through data.
September 14, 2026
The Country Most Like South Korea on Paper Ranks Last on Income: The Two Koreas, Compared
Of the 53 countries WhatsThePop tracks, only North Korea matches South Korea on climate, plugs, driving side, time zone, and language. Yet income per person is $36,227 in the South and an estimated $1,387 in the North โ a 26-fold gap. And the North is actually 1.2 times larger.
September 10, 2026
3.5% of People in South Korea Were Born Abroad โ In 1990 It Was 0.04%
In 1990, 18,499 people living in South Korea had been born abroad โ 0.04% of the population. In 2024 it is 1.81 million, or 3.5%, just under the world average of 3.7%. Sort the same data by head count instead of share and an entirely different list of countries appears.
September 3, 2026
South Korea's Fertility Rate Is 0.72 โ By 2050 It Will Be Older Than Japan
South Korea's 2023 fertility rate was 0.72 births per woman โ the lowest of the 53 countries this site tracks. UN population projections put its 65-and-over share at 39.7% by 2050, overtaking Japan (37.5%), the country usually cited as the world's oldest.
August 30, 2026
Why South Korea Ranks Among the World's Densest Countries: Seoul
Among the 53 countries WhatsThePop tracks, South Korea ranks 2nd in population density at 516 people per kmยฒ. The real driver is Seoul alone โ its density of 15,828/kmยฒ almost exactly matches Tokyo's 23 wards, and trails cities like Manila.
August 22, 2026
13 Plug Standards, 53 Countries โ Only 17 Match South Korea's Exactly
We checked the plug type and voltage for all 53 countries WhatsThePop tracks. There are 13 distinct standards โ only 17 match South Korea's C/F, 220V setup exactly, and 16 need a completely different adapter.
August 13, 2026
Same Income, a 17-Rank Gap: Where South Korea and Japan Actually Diverge
South Korea's GDP per capita ($36,227) is actually $276 higher than Japan's ($35,951). Yet on livability rankings, Japan sits 2nd out of 87 countries while South Korea sits 19th. Here's what the income numbers don't explain.
August 6, 2026
Adjusted for PPP: Iceland Drops 16%, Egypt Jumps 7.6ร
Recalculating GDP per capita in purchasing-power-parity (PPP) terms reshuffles the rankings once more. Iceland's figure drops 16%; Egypt's jumps 7.6ร. The same phrase, 'income per person,' measures something different in each country.
August 3, 2026
The World's 2nd-Biggest Economy Ranks 33rd Per Capita โ Why 'Big Economy' Isn't 'Expensive Travel'
Among the 53 countries WhatsThePop tracks, China has the 2nd-largest total economy but ranks 33rd per capita โ just 38% of South Korea's figure. Economic size and what travelers actually pay are answers to different questions.
August 1, 2026
20 Countries Bigger Than South Korea โ And Only 2 Smaller
Of the 22 countries WhatsThePop tracks, only the Netherlands and Switzerland are smaller than South Korea (100,210 kmยฒ). Here's how the other 20 stack up, grouped by scale.
July 30, 2026
The World's Biggest vs. Smallest Country: How Big Is the Gap, Really?
India's 1.46 billion people versus Vatican City's 764. Two extremes that barely feel like they belong to the same category โ put side by side with real data.