Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 34.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Latvia, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 10.1 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 42.4% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 55.4% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 76.6% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 46.6% more likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 68.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 74.9% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 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 11.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 Latvia, 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 15.5% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.4% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 22.4% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.6 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 17.5 times more likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 50.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Latvia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.2% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 66.3 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 13.8% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 17.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.5% more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 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: Latvia vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.