Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of India, you would:
Health
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
India spends $346 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
India scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 86.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In India, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.9 years less
In India, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 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.
be 4.0 times more likely to be obese
In India, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 77.5% more likely to die by suicide
India has a suicide rate of 12.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.4 times more money
India has a GDP per capita of $2,702 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 7.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In India, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 16.6% more likely to be literate
In India, the literacy rate is 78.2% as of 2024. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
have 15.6% more children
In India, there are approximately 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 47.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In India, approximately 80.0 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 11.9% more likely to have internet access
In India, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 11.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In India, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 46.8% more on education
India spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
India spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.0% less coastline
India has a total of 7,000 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 15.5 times more likely to be murdered
India has a homicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 59.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In India, road accidents kill 15.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.8% more home broadband
India has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 2.7 times more electricity
India uses 1,182 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 43.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In India, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
India emits 2.2 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: India vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to India? See an in-depth size comparison.