Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Finland, you would:
Health
live 16.0 years less
In Finland, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 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 31.3% more likely to be obese
In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 79.0% less spent on your healthcare
Finland spends $6,433 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 78.0% fewer doctors per person
Finland has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 17.4% less access to essential health services
Finland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 53.1% more likely to die by suicide
Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Finland, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 88.2% less money
Finland has a GDP per capita of $56,149 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Finland, approximately 8.0 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 12.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Finland, approximately 1.9 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 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Finland, 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.
be 16.4% less likely to have internet access
In Finland, approximately 93.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.9% less on healthcare
Finland spends 10.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Finland has a total of 1,250 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 44.6 times more likely to be murdered
Finland has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 56.9% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Finland, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 5.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Finland, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.3% less home broadband
Finland has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 9.5 times more strain on fresh water
Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 78.1% less electricity
Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 6.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 24.2% more CO2
Finland emits 5.5 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Finland vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Finland? See an in-depth size comparison.