Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Austria, you would:
Health
live 15.7 years less
In Austria, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 92.3% more likely to be obese
In Austria, 16.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 83.6% less spent on your healthcare
Austria spends $8,250 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 85.6% fewer doctors per person
Austria has 55.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 16.5% less access to essential health services
Austria scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 53.7% more likely to die by suicide
Austria has a suicide rate of 14.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Austria, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Austria, 14.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 89.5% less money
Austria has a GDP per capita of $62,930 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Austria, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Austria, approximately 6.0 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 8.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Austria, approximately 2.8 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 Austria, 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 14.8% less likely to have internet access
In Austria, approximately 91.9% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.7% less on healthcare
Austria spends 11.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 14.0% more on education
Austria spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 49.7 times more likely to be murdered
Austria has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 5.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Austria, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 82.2% less home broadband
Austria has 30.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 7.8 times more strain on fresh water
Austria withdraws 9% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 58.9% less electricity
Austria uses 7,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Austria, air pollution causes 17.0 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), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Austria vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Austria? See an in-depth size comparison.