Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Lithuania, you would:
Health
be 86.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lithuania, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 10.9 years less
In Lithuania, the average life expectancy is 77 years (73 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 49.1% more likely to be obese
In Lithuania, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 67.2% less spent on your healthcare
Lithuania spends $4,127 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 82.2% fewer doctors per person
Lithuania has 44.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Lithuania, 6.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 81.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Lithuania, 20.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 80.0% less money
Lithuania has a GDP per capita of $32,959 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Lithuania, there are approximately 6.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Lithuania, approximately 8.0 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 8.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Lithuania, approximately 2.8 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 Lithuania, 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 12.1% less likely to have internet access
In Lithuania, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.6% more on education
Lithuania spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.2% more on healthcare
Lithuania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 31.1 times more coastline
Lithuania has a total of 90 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 16.6 times more likely to be murdered
Lithuania has a homicide rate of 2.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Lithuania, road accidents kill 6.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 80.8% less home broadband
Lithuania has 27.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 31.2 times more strain on fresh water
Lithuania withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 26.0% less electricity
Lithuania uses 4,387 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 20.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Lithuania, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 53.2% more CO2
Lithuania emits 4.5 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: Lithuania vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Lithuania? See an in-depth size comparison.