Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 11.7 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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.
see 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 86.8% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 14.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 5.4 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 10.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 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 29.5% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
be 65.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 43.1% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 43.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 90.1% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.8 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 53.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Nigeria, 79% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 42.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 66.9 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 22.5 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 7.0 times more strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.1 times more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.