Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Moldova, you would:
Health
see 14.6% more spent on your healthcare
Moldova spends $1,181 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
be 19.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Moldova, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.0 years less
In Moldova, the average life expectancy is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 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 42.6% more likely to be obese
In Moldova, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
have 80.2% fewer doctors per person
Moldova has 40.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 57.7% more likely to die by suicide
Moldova has a suicide rate of 14.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Moldova, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 12.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Moldova, 33.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 23.5% less money
Moldova has a GDP per capita of $8,622 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 74.5% more children
In Moldova, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Moldova, approximately 19.0 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 60.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Moldova, approximately 15.1 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 Moldova, 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.
Expenditures
spend 32.2% more on healthcare
Moldova spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 17.2 times more likely to be murdered
Moldova has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Moldova, road accidents kill 9.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 34.7% more electricity
Moldova uses 2,412 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 81.9% less home broadband
Moldova has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 5.4 times more strain on fresh water
Moldova withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 19.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Moldova, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Moldova emits 3.4 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Moldova vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Moldova? See an in-depth size comparison.