Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
be 47.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mexico, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 7.0 years less
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 60.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 41.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
make 35.8% less money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $17,900 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 3.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 28.6% higher top tax rate
Mexico has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 37.0% more children
In Mexico, there are approximately 13.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 33.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 11.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 58.1% more on education
Mexico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 68.5% more on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 70.0% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.