Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
be 14.2% less likely to be obese
In Brunei, 37.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
live 9.2 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 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.
see 28.6% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 57.9% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 7.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 79.5% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 38.6% more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 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 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 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 Brunei, 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 18.6% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.0 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 17.4 times more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 6.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 74.7% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 19.5 times more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 69.6% less electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 66.0% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.