Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 5.8 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 61.4% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 6.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 98.1% more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.3 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 9.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 54.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 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 39.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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.
have 44.6% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 69.4% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 26.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 95.8% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.0 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 6.5 times more likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 14.4 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 43.3 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 53.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.7 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.