Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 17.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 5.4 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 74.8% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 70.0% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 14.5% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 27.9% more likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 81.6% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 Japan, 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 13.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 Japan, 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.
Expenditures
spend 17.0% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 80.2% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 90.6% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 190.1 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 55.6% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Japan, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 9.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.2% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 84.5% more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 56.9% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 12.2% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.