Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Argentina, you would:
Health
be 14.6% less likely to be obese
In Argentina, 37.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 43.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Argentina, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 11.2 years less
In Argentina, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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.
see 56.2% less spent on your healthcare
Argentina spends $3,089 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 84.4% fewer doctors per person
Argentina has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 10.1% less access to essential health services
Argentina scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Argentina has a suicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Argentina, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 34.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Argentina, 28.2% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 55.7% less money
Argentina has a GDP per capita of $14,898 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 66.6% more children
In Argentina, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Argentina, approximately 33.0 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 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Argentina, approximately 8.0 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 Argentina, 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.
be 12.6% less likely to have internet access
In Argentina, approximately 89.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.2% less on healthcare
Argentina spends 10.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 20.4% more on education
Argentina spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 43.9% less coastline
Argentina has a total of 4,989 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 9.7 times more likely to be murdered
Argentina has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Argentina, road accidents kill 8.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 15.1% more electricity
Argentina uses 2,822 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 79.5% less home broadband
Argentina has 26.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 6.5 times more strain on fresh water
Argentina withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Argentina, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 71.6% more CO2
Argentina 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Argentina vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Argentina? See an in-depth size comparison.