Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 13.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 10.4 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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.
be 14.6% more likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 24.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 32.2% more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,700 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 80.0% higher top tax rate
Jamaica has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 16.7% more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 48.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 80.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 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 27.3% more likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 55.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 25.9% more on education
Jamaica spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 49.2% more on healthcare
Jamaica spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 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, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.