Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
be 47.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Colombia, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 9.6 years less
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 26.9% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 53.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 35.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
make 14.2% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $13,400 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 10.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 36.4% higher top tax rate
Colombia has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 22.0% more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 15.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 43.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 83.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 11.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 51.1% more on education
Colombia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 18.2% more on healthcare
Colombia spends 7.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 12.8% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN), South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.