Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 92.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Jamaica, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2020.
live 10.4 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.
be 12.7% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Jamaica, that number is 24.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 72.9% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Jamaica, that number is 7.7% as of 2019.
pay a 44.4% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Jamaica, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.
make 24.3% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,700 as of 2020.
Life
be 32.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Jamaica, 80.0 women do as of 2017.
be 56.8% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Jamaica, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2022.
have 14.3% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 21.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Jamaica, about 55.0% do as of 2019.
Expenditures
spend 20.6% less on education
South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Jamaica spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 33.0% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Jamaica, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 63.5% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.