South Korea is a small country (about 39,000 square miles) on the tip of the Korean Peninsula. They are also a wealthy country, and most of the population lives in cities. In contrast, South Africa is a large country at about 470,000 square miles. Two-thirds of the populace lives in cities and one third live in rural areas ("South Africa: Summary"). These two countries were very different before the COVID pandemic struck, and they had different challenges to face when it did.
Economics:
South Korea: GDP of South Korea is 1.642 trillion American Dollars (2020), population is 51 million people (2020). In terms of housing demographics, about 81.8% of population lives in urban area and 18.2% population lives in rural area (2009).
South Africa: GDP of South Africa is 351.4 billion American Dollars (2020) with a population of 59 million (2020). In terms of housing demographics, about 66.3% lives in urban area and 33.7% lives in rural area (2020).
Health Indicators:
South Korea: health expenditure correlates 7.6% of GDP (2017), 1.1 live births per woman in terms of fertility rate. The life expectancy of females is 86 and male is 81. The infant mortality is 1.8 deaths per 1,000 live births and child mortality rate is 2.2 per 1,000 live births.
South Africa: health expenditure correlates 8.25% of GDP (2020), 2.4 live births per woman in terms of fertility rate. The life expectancy of females is 68 and male is 62. The infant mortality is 23.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, child mortality of 30.7 per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality of 119 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Age Breakdown:
South Korea has a large aged population, about 30% of citizens are over the age of 55. This is the group that is most vulnerable to severe disease and death from Covid-19.
Racial and Ethnic Demographics:
South Korea's population is remarkably homogenous. 96% of the population consists of Koreans and all other racial groups constitute the remaining 4%.
South Africa is a much more diverse country. 80.9% of the population is black, 8.8% identify as mixed, 7.8% are white, and 2.5% are of Asian descent or from other racial groups.
Healthcare:
In the Republic of Korea healthcare is referred to as National Health Insurance, and is provided to all citizens through the National Health Insurance Corporation which is housed under the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The public health care system is funded through a combination of taxes, government subsidies, and tobacco surcharges.
Economics:
Data from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Comparative Health Policy Library.
South Korea: GDP of South Korea is 1.642 trillion American Dollars (2020), population is 51 million people (2020). In terms of housing demographics, about 81.8% of population lives in urban area and 18.2% population lives in rural area (2009).
South Africa: GDP of South Africa is 351.4 billion American Dollars (2020) with a population of 59 million (2020). In terms of housing demographics, about 66.3% lives in urban area and 33.7% lives in rural area (2020).
Health Indicators:
South Korea: health expenditure correlates 7.6% of GDP (2017), 1.1 live births per woman in terms of fertility rate. The life expectancy of females is 86 and male is 81. The infant mortality is 1.8 deaths per 1,000 live births and child mortality rate is 2.2 per 1,000 live births.
South Africa: health expenditure correlates 8.25% of GDP (2020), 2.4 live births per woman in terms of fertility rate. The life expectancy of females is 68 and male is 62. The infant mortality is 23.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, child mortality of 30.7 per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality of 119 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Age Breakdown:
South Korea has a large aged population, about 30% of citizens are over the age of 55. This is the group that is most vulnerable to severe disease and death from Covid-19.
South Africa has a much younger population. Only 13% of people are over the age of 55.
Racial and Ethnic Demographics:
South Korea's population is remarkably homogenous. 96% of the population consists of Koreans and all other racial groups constitute the remaining 4%.
South Africa is a much more diverse country. 80.9% of the population is black, 8.8% identify as mixed, 7.8% are white, and 2.5% are of Asian descent or from other racial groups.
Healthcare:
In the Republic of Korea healthcare is referred to as National Health Insurance, and is provided to all citizens through the National Health Insurance Corporation which is housed under the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The public health care system is funded through a combination of taxes, government subsidies, and tobacco surcharges.
In South Africa healthcare is administered by the Department of Health and low-quality public healthcare is available for free to all citizens. However, it's not a system of universal healthcare, instead two parallel systems operate side-by-side; a private healthcare system and public healthcare system. The public healthcare system is funded through taxes paid to the National Revenue Fund.
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