Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in South Africa instead of Nauru, you would:

Health

live 4.0 years longer

In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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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be 55.5% less likely to be obese

In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.

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have 18.3% more access to essential health services

Nauru scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.

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see 45.3% less spent on your healthcare

Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 54.9% less money

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.

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Life

be 56.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nauru, approximately 273.0 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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be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Nauru, approximately 7.7 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.

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have 24.8% fewer children

In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Nauru, 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 51.1% less on healthcare

Nauru spends 18.2% 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 93.3 times more coastline

Nauru has a total of 30 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.

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Safety

be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 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 46.3% less home broadband

Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Nauru vs. South Africa

Size Comparison · See true size
Nauru is about 58,052 times smaller than South Africa.
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Moving from Nauru to South Africa · UN DESA 2020
24 people born in Nauru live in South Africa.
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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 Nauru? See an in-depth size comparison.

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