Mexico vs South Korea

South Korea scores 84.5 in the NationsTree Index (1st in the world) and Mexico scores 52.6 (76th), a gap of 32.0 points. Their trees are 35 m and 40 m tall; tree height grows with real GDP and is adjusted by the index.

Mexico has 2.6 times the population of South Korea. Mexico is 19 times larger than South Korea by land area. Mexico and South Korea have economies of similar size (GDP at purchasing power parity). Population: Mexico 131.9 million and South Korea 51.7 million (2025).

GDP per person at purchasing power parity is $63,125 in South Korea and $25,868 in Mexico (2025, international dollars). People in South Korea live on average 8.4 years longer (83.6 vs 75.3 years).

Of 39 indicators reported by both countries, Mexico ranks higher in the world on 6 and South Korea on 33. Mexico is clearly stronger in natural resources, tourism and land & people. South Korea is clearly stronger in institutions & safety, military and infrastructure & digital.

As a nation, South Korea is the older of the two (statehood since 57 BC, 2,082 years), compared with Mexico (since 1810). Over the last five years South Korea improved faster (direction score 75 vs 57 out of 100).