Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Brazil, you would:
Health
be 24.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Brazil, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 9.7 years less
In Brazil, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 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 34.6% less spent on your healthcare
Brazil spends $2,070 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 66.3% fewer doctors per person
Brazil has 23.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 11.2% less access to essential health services
Brazil scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Brazil has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Brazil, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 38.4% less money
Brazil has a GDP per capita of $10,713 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 52.3% more children
In Brazil, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 76.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In Brazil, approximately 67.0 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 96.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Brazil, approximately 12.3 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 12.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Brazil, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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.
Geography
see 62.6% less coastline
Brazil has a total of 7,491 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to be murdered
Brazil has a homicide rate of 19.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 23.4% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Brazil, 48% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 56.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Brazil, road accidents kill 15.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 77.8% less home broadband
Brazil has 24.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 45.1 times more strain on fresh water
Brazil withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brazil, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Brazil emits 2.3 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 (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brazil vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Brazil? See an in-depth size comparison.