Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 16.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 43.2% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 80.5% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 81.8% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 20.2% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 87.2% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 93.3% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 65.0% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 39.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 11.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 Iceland, 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 20.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.6% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 43.7% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 33.9 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 59.3% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 10.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.7% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 173.3 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 93.4% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 19.2% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.