Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Jordan, you would:
Health
be 20.3% less likely to be obese
In Jordan, 35.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
be 191.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jordan, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 10.7 years less
In Jordan, the average life expectancy is 76 years (75 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.
Economy
make 43.2% more money
Jordan has a GDP per capita of $9,500 as of 2024, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $13,600 as of 2024.
be 84.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Jordan, 18.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 33.2% as of 2024.
pay a 2.2 times higher top tax rate
Jordan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Jordan, approximately 31.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Jordan, approximately 13.9 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.
have 21.4% fewer children
In Jordan, there are approximately 21.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In South Africa, there are 17.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 13.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jordan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 86% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 18.3% less likely to have internet access
In Jordan, approximately 93.0% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In South Africa, about 76.0% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Jordan spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 14.7% more on healthcare
Jordan spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 107.6 times more coastline
Jordan has a total of 26 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Jordan Tax Service, The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Jordan? See an in-depth size comparison.