Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 38.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In El Salvador, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 10.1 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 15.0% more likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 42.0% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $8,100 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 27.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 22.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 4.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 7.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate
El Salvador has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 46.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 12.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 27.3% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 55.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 100.0% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 26.4% more on healthcare
El Salvador spends 7.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 9.1 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.