Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
see 15.8% more spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
be 17.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Dominican Republic, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.6 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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.
have 67.3% fewer doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 5.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 40.3% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 11.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Dominican Republic, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 13.9% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.1% more on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 93.7% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 10.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
use 73.9% more electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 52.2% less home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 70.9% more strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 74.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.