Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
be 38.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Eritrea, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 1.5 years less
In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 5.7 times more likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 5.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 7.2 times more money
Eritrea has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2017, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 66.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Eritrea, 50.0% live below the poverty line as of 2004. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 4.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 5.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
Life
be 75.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 480.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 24.0% more likely to be literate
In Eritrea, the literacy rate is 76.6% as of 2018. In South Africa, it is 95.0% as of 2019.
be 37.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Eritrea, approximately 41.5 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.
have 31.4% fewer children
In Eritrea, there are approximately 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 100.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Eritrea, approximately 47% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 70.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 1.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
be 67.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Eritrea, approximately 58% of people have improved drinking water access (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2015. In South Africa, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Eritrea spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 25.2% more coastline
Eritrea has a total of 2,234 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.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.