Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Liberia, you would:
Health
live 4.0 years longer
In Liberia, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 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.
see 5.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Liberia spends $233 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 4.5 times more doctors per person
Liberia has 1.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 57.8% more access to essential health services
Liberia scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 19.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Liberia, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 78.7% more likely to be obese
In Liberia, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Liberia has a suicide rate of 6.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.2 times more money
Liberia has a GDP per capita of $915 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 11.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Liberia, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 81.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Liberia, approximately 628.0 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 61.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Liberia, approximately 63.2 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.
have 39.6% fewer children
In Liberia, there are approximately 30.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Liberia, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (53% in urban areas, and 9% 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 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Liberia, approximately 32.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 14.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Liberia, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.5% less on healthcare
Liberia spends 13.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on education
Liberia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.8 times more coastline
Liberia has a total of 579 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 60.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Liberia, road accidents kill 15.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 19.8 times more home broadband
Liberia has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 260.0 times more strain on fresh water
Liberia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 21.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Liberia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.9 times more CO2
Liberia emits 0.1 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Liberia vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Liberia? See an in-depth size comparison.