Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in South Africa instead of Marshall Islands, you would:

Health

be 24.3% less likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.

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see 54.9% more spent on your healthcare

Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.

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have 20.3% more access to essential health services

Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.

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live 0.8 years less

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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.

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Economy

be 5.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.

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make 22.3% less money

Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.

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Life

be 23.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 18.9% more likely to have internet access

In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.

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be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Marshall Islands, 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.

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Expenditures

spend 21.8% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 33.6% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 7.6 times more coastline

Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.

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Safety

be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.3 times more home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. South Africa

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
South Africa is 40.4% cheaper than Marshall Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Marshall Islands is about 6,735 times smaller than South Africa.
→
Moving from Marshall Islands to South Africa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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South Africa: At a glance

South Africa (sometimes abbreviated RSA) is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,214,470 sq km. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Second Anglo Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson MANDELA, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa since then has struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in decent housing, education, and health care. ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 when President Thabo MBEKI resigned, and Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded him as interim president. Jacob ZUMA became president after the ANC won general elections in April 2009. National presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 2014.
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How big is South Africa compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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