Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 57.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malta, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 16.6 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 76.3% less spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 82.4% fewer doctors per person
Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 16.5% less access to essential health services
Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 86.2% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 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 Malta, 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 5.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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 Malta, 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 16.5% less likely to have internet access
In Malta, approximately 93.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.8% more on education
Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 14.2 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 78.1 times more likely to be murdered
Malta has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 12.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.0% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 35.2% less electricity
Malta uses 5,013 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Malta emits 3.2 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: Malta vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.