Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Guyana, you would:
Health
be 10.0% less likely to die by suicide
Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.0 years less
In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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.
have 42.8% fewer doctors per person
Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 79.6% less money
Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Guyana, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 11.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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.
Expenditures
spend 3.6 times more on healthcare
Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.1 times more coastline
Guyana has a total of 459 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to be murdered
Guyana has a homicide rate of 19.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 61.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 58.7% less home broadband
Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 20.5 times more strain on fresh water
Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 50.9% more CO2
Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guyana vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Guyana? See an in-depth size comparison.