Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Australia, 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 16.7 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 82.4% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 80.6% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 18.4% less access to essential health services
Australia scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 70.5% more likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 7.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Australia, 13.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 89.9% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 72.7% more children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 59.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 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 7.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 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 Australia, 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 18.5% less likely to have internet access
In Australia, approximately 96.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.3% less on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 19.0% more on education
Australia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 89.1% less coastline
Australia has a total of 25,760 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 51.4 times more likely to be murdered
Australia has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 5.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.3% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 14.5 times more strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 66.9% less electricity
Australia uses 9,801 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 51.2% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.