Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Israel, you would:
Health
live 16.9 years less
In Israel, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 43.0% more likely to be obese
In Israel, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 66.4% less spent on your healthcare
Israel spends $4,033 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 79.1% fewer doctors per person
Israel has 38.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 16.5% less access to essential health services
Israel scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 5.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Israel has a suicide rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 9.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Israel, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 89.1% less money
Israel has a GDP per capita of $60,337 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
be 59.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Israel, approximately 2.0 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 9.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Israel, approximately 2.7 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 Israel, 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 11.1% less likely to have internet access
In Israel, approximately 88.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.5% more on healthcare
Israel spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.2 times more coastline
Israel has a total of 273 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 26.8 times more likely to be murdered
Israel has a homicide rate of 1.6 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 54.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Israel, 80% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 5.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Israel, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 48.8% less strain on fresh water
Israel withdraws 132% of its available fresh water each year as of 2021. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
find 81.7% less home broadband
Israel has 29.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 54.8% less electricity
Israel uses 7,186 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Israel, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.2% more CO2
Israel emits 5.8 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Israel vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Israel? See an in-depth size comparison.