Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Libya, you would:
Health
see 28.3% more spent on your healthcare
Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 14.5% more access to essential health services
Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Libya, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.8 years less
In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 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 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
have 12.0% more children
In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Libya, approximately 59.0 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 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Libya, approximately 7.9 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 19.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 14.1% more on healthcare
Libya spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 58.1% more coastline
Libya has a total of 1,770 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 27.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.4% more home broadband
Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 91.7% less strain on fresh water
Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 14.5% less electricity
Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 13.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.6% less CO2
Libya emits 8.7 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Libya vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.