Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Egypt, you would:
Health
be 27.7% less likely to be obese
In Egypt, 43.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 49.6% more spent on your healthcare
Egypt spends $905 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 18.3% more doctors per person
Egypt has 6.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Egypt, 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 5.5 years less
In Egypt, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 35.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Egypt has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Egypt has a GDP per capita of $3,086 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Egypt, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 13.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Egypt, 33.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
Life
be 14.7% more likely to be literate
In Egypt, the literacy rate is 79.5% as of 2022. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
be 6.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Egypt, approximately 17.0 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 16.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Egypt, approximately 20.8 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.
have 11.6% fewer children
In Egypt, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Egypt, 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.
Expenditures
spend 82.6% more on healthcare
Egypt spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 14.2% more coastline
Egypt has a total of 2,450 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Egypt, road accidents kill 9.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 52.1% less strain on fresh water
Egypt withdraws 141% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 2.2 times more electricity
Egypt uses 1,493 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 54.2% less home broadband
Egypt has 11.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 55.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Egypt, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Egypt emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Egypt vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Egypt? See an in-depth size comparison.