Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
see 15.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Eritrea spends $87 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 9.0 times more doctors per person
Eritrea has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 57.8% more access to essential health services
Eritrea scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 43.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Eritrea, 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 2.6 years less
In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 7.3 times more likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 68.6% more likely to die by suicide
Eritrea has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 59.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 291.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
have 35.7% fewer children
In Eritrea, there are approximately 28.7 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 61.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Eritrea, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (77% in urban areas, and 37% 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 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Eritrea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.2% more coastline
Eritrea has a total of 2,234 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 38.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Eritrea, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 31.5 times more home broadband
Eritrea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 26.3 times more electricity
Eritrea uses 123 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 6.0 times more strain on fresh water
Eritrea withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Eritrea, air pollution causes 78.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.3 times more CO2
Eritrea emits 0.2 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Eritrea vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.