Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Cyprus, you would:
Health
live 15.5 years less
In Cyprus, 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 47.4% more likely to be obese
In Cyprus, 21.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 70.2% less spent on your healthcare
Cyprus spends $4,538 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 77.7% fewer doctors per person
Cyprus has 35.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 12.3% less access to essential health services
Cyprus scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 7.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Cyprus 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 6.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cyprus, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cyprus, 13.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 84.2% less money
Cyprus has a GDP per capita of $41,783 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.7% more children
In Cyprus, there are approximately 10.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cyprus, approximately 14.0 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 5.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cyprus, approximately 4.1 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 Cyprus, 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 12.5% less likely to have internet access
In Cyprus, approximately 89.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.0% more on education
Cyprus spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.3 times more coastline
Cyprus has a total of 648 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 53.3 times more likely to be murdered
Cyprus has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 6.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cyprus, road accidents kill 3.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.8% less home broadband
Cyprus has 37.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Cyprus withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 15.5% less electricity
Cyprus uses 3,842 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cyprus, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.4% more CO2
Cyprus emits 5.4 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: Cyprus vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Cyprus? See an in-depth size comparison.