Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Hong Kong, you would:
Health
live 18.3 years less
In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 16.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Hong Kong, 19.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
make 79.5% less money
Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,200 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 9.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Hong Kong, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 3.0 times higher top tax rate
Hong Kong has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Hong Kong, there are approximately 8.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 10.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 23.9% less likely to have internet access
In Hong Kong, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 54.5% more on education
Hong Kong spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 3.8 times more coastline
Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.