Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:
Health
live 2.4 years longer
In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 5.2 times more doctors per person
Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 54.3% more access to essential health services
Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 65.5% more likely to be obese
In Equatorial Guinea, 19.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Equatorial Guinea has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Equatorial Guinea, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Equatorial Guinea, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 32.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 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 49.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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 38.4% fewer children
In Equatorial Guinea, there are approximately 30.0 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 31.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 2% 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 23.8% more likely to have internet access
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 63.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.5 times more coastline
Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Equatorial Guinea, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 53.5 times more home broadband
Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 4.1 times more electricity
Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 375.6 times more strain on fresh water
Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Equatorial Guinea 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Equatorial Guinea vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.