Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Canada, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 15.8 years less
In Canada, 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 22.3% more likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 82.3% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 71.8% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 22.0% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 88.2% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 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 5.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 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 Canada, 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 16.9% less likely to have internet access
In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.2% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 24.4% more on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 98.6% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 22.1 times more likely to be murdered
Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 57.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Canada, 88% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 5.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.4% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 18.2 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 77.0% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 50.9% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.