Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Algeria, you would:
Health
see 84.9% more spent on your healthcare
Algeria spends $732 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Algeria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 10.2 years less
In Algeria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 34.8% more likely to be obese
In Algeria, 23.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
have 52.2% fewer doctors per person
Algeria has 16.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 10.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Algeria has a suicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Algeria, 11.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 90.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Algeria, approximately 62.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Algeria, approximately 19.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Algeria, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 33.0% less on education
Algeria spends 9.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Algeria spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.8 times more coastline
Algeria has a total of 998 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 37.7 times more likely to be murdered
Algeria has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 33.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Algeria, road accidents kill 18.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 53.3% less strain on fresh water
Algeria withdraws 145% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 77.6% more electricity
Algeria uses 1,828 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 59.8% less home broadband
Algeria has 13.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 72.9% more CO2
Algeria emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Algeria vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Algeria? See an in-depth size comparison.