Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
see 26.7% more spent on your healthcare
Namibia spends $1,068 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 43.6% more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 91.1% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Namibia, 9.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 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 74.0% more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Namibia has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 35.3% more money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 67.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 15.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 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 33.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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.
have 28.6% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 54.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% 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 20.8% more likely to have internet access
In Namibia, approximately 64.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.7% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 78.0% more coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 3.9 times more likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 11.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.0% more home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
Namibia uses 1,232 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 218.1 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 5.7 times more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.