Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
be 43.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ecuador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 11.3 years less
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 65.7% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Ecuador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 9.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 77.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ecuador, 21.4% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
Life
have 24.7% more children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 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 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 11.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ecuador, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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.
Expenditures
spend 63.1% more on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.9% more on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.1% more coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Infrastructure
use 93.8% more electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 69.0% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 10.0 times more strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.