Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Cook Islands, you would:
Health
be 49.4% less likely to be obese
In Cook Islands, 55.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
live 11.8 years less
In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 31.1% less money
Cook Islands has a GDP per capita of $16,700 as of 2016, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cook Islands, 13.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2005. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
Life
have 47.9% more children
In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 62.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 29.6% more likely to have internet access
In Cook Islands, approximately 54.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 94.3% more on education
Cook Islands spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Cook Islands spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 23.3 times more coastline
Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.