Land Area
India
3,287,263 km²
Largest
South Korea
100,210 km²
3.0% of largest
India is 32.80× larger than South Korea
Population
India
LARGEST
1.42B
PEOPLE
South Korea
3.6% OF LARGEST
51.27M
PEOPLE
India has 27.64× the population of South Korea
GDP
India
LARGEST
$3.74T
South Korea
48.4% OF LARGEST
$1.81T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
India
LARGEST
1.45M
TROOPS
South Korea
38.4% OF LARGEST
555K
TROOPS
India has 2.60× the active personnel of South Korea
Air Force
India
LARGEST
2.18K
AIRCRAFT
South Korea
72.5% OF LARGEST
1.58K
AIRCRAFT
India has 1.38× the aircraft of South Korea
Naval Assets
India
South Korea
Wealth
Gold Reserves
India
LARGEST
876.2
Metric Tonnes
South Korea
11.9% OF LARGEST
104.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
India
LARGEST
$570B
Reserves · excl. gold
South Korea
73.7% OF LARGEST
$420B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
India
MOST
200
billionaires
South Korea
15% OF MOST
30
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
India
LARGEST
4.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
India
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.7M b/d
Consumption
5.3M b/d
−4.6M b/d net
South Korea
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
2.7M b/d
−2.7M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
India
$827.4B
Exports
$827.4B
Imports
$918.3B
Trade Balance
$-90.9B
Trade Deficit
South Korea
$831.9B
Exports
$831.9B
Imports
$755.5B
Trade Balance
+$76.4B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
South Korea
consumption
India
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
India
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
South Korea
consumption
India
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
South Korea
consumption
India
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
South Korea
consumption
India
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
South Korea
India
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
South Korea
145
Gold
134
Silver
130
Bronze
409
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 320
❄ Winter: 89
India
10
Gold
10
Silver
21
Bronze
41
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 41
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
India
South Korea
Age Demographics
Median Age
South Korea
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
India
28.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
South Korea is 16.7 years older (median) than India
Youth Population
India has the highest youth population at 52.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
South Korea has the highest elderly population at 25.3% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
India
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
62
|
193
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
17.9M
|
11.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
12
|
2
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
2
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
India
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $3 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $15 | $40 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $250 | $800 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $150 | $500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $35 | $140 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $12 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $15 | $45 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | India | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1417200000 | 51269185 |
| Area (sq km) | 3287263 | 100210 |
| Capital | New Delhi | Seoul |
| Official Language | Hindi and English (official), 21 other scheduled languages | Korean |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | India | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 1,445,000 | 555,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,155,000 | 3,100,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,610,550 | 3,655,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $81,400,000,000 | $46,700,000,000 |
| Tanks | 4,614 | 2,321 |
| Armored Vehicles | 12,000 | 3,100 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 100 | 1,836 |
| Towed Artillery | 4,175 | 1,700 |
| Rocket Projectors | 266 | 600 |
Economy
| Metric | India | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $3,736,900,000,000 | $1,810,000,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $2,637 | $35,340 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 7.8% | 3.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 35.7 | 31.4 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| India Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.0612 Weaker |
| South Korea Currency | 16.3406 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | INR | KRW |
| 1 USD equals | 94.4628 INR Updated: 2026-06-27 | 1543.5750 KRW Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
India is 32.8 times larger in area than South Korea.
That's a massive difference!
India has 27.6 times more people than South Korea.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
South Korea has the highest GDP per capita at $35,340 among the selected countries.
India has the largest economy with a GDP of
$3.74 trillion.
India has the largest active military personnel with 1,445,000 troops.
India has the largest air force with 2,182 aircraft.
India has the largest navy with 295 vessels.
India Fact: India has the world's largest film industry, producing over 1,800 films annually, more than twice Hollywood's output.
India vs South Korea: Key Comparisons
Economy: India's GDP of $3.7T is 2.1x larger than South Korea's $1.8T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: India's population of 1.4B is 27.6x larger than South Korea's 51M.
Area: India covers 3,287,263 km², making it 32.8x larger than South Korea.
Military: India fields 1.4Million active troops vs South Korea's 560Thousand.
Trade: India has a trade deficit of $91B while South Korea runs a trade surplus of $76B.
Life Expectancy: South Korea leads with a life expectancy of 83 years vs India's 71.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology