Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in South Africa instead of Guam, you would:

Health

live 11.1 years less

In Guam, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 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.

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Economy

be 5.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Guam, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.

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make 84.2% less money

Guam has a GDP per capita of $41,833 as of 2022, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Guam, approximately 11.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guam, 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.

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Geography

see 22.3 times more coastline

Guam has a total of 126 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.

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Safety

be 10.1 times more likely to be murdered

Guam has a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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Infrastructure

find 2.9 times more home broadband

Guam has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Guam vs. South Africa

Cost of Living Comparison · 6 categories - 2026 data
South Africa is 63.5% cheaper than Guam overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Guam is about 2,241 times smaller than South Africa.
→
Moving from Guam to South Africa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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South Africa: At a glance

South Africa (sometimes abbreviated RSA) is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,214,470 sq km. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Second Anglo Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson MANDELA, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa since then has struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in decent housing, education, and health care. ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 when President Thabo MBEKI resigned, and Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded him as interim president. Jacob ZUMA became president after the ANC won general elections in April 2009. National presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 2014.
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How big is South Africa compared to Guam? See an in-depth size comparison.

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