Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Denmark, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Denmark, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 15.9 years less
In Denmark, 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 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Denmark, 14.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 81.4% less spent on your healthcare
Denmark spends $7,262 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 82.3% fewer doctors per person
Denmark has 45.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 13.4% less access to essential health services
Denmark scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Denmark has a suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Denmark, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Denmark, 12.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 91.4% less money
Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 94.5% more children
In Denmark, there are approximately 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 29.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Denmark, approximately 4.0 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 6.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Denmark, approximately 3.5 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 Denmark, 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 21.5% less likely to have internet access
In Denmark, approximately 99.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 61.7% less coastline
Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 52.0 times more likely to be murdered
Denmark 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 10.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Denmark, road accidents kill 2.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.7% less home broadband
Denmark has 43.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water
Denmark withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 47.3% less electricity
Denmark uses 6,165 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Denmark, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.7% more CO2
Denmark emits 4.3 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: Denmark vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.