Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in South Africa instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

be 56.1% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 72.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.

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have 54.3% more access to essential health services

Cook Islands scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.

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live 10.8 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 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 41.0% fewer doctors per person

Cook Islands has 13.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.

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Life

have 52.7% more children

In Cook Islands, 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.

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be 51.9% 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, 24.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.9% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 30.9% more on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 2.8 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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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.

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Safety

be 39.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cook Islands, road accidents kill 17.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 70.6% less home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2020–2024), World Bank (2022–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. South Africa

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
South Africa is 19.3% cheaper than Cook Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Cook Islands is about 5,166 times smaller than South Africa.
→
Moving from Cook Islands to South Africa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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South Africa: At a glance

South Africa (sometimes abbreviated RSA) is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,214,470 sq km. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Second Anglo Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson MANDELA, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa since then has struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in decent housing, education, and health care. ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 when President Thabo MBEKI resigned, and Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded him as interim president. Jacob ZUMA became president after the ANC won general elections in April 2009. National presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 2014.
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How big is South Africa compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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