Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Norway, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 16.8 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 57.4% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 85.8% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 84.0% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 18.4% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 69.1% more likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 7.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 93.0% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 90.5% more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 118.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 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 12.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 Norway, 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.
be 20.8% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.9% more on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 88.9% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 60.7 times more likely to be murdered
Norway has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 16.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.2% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 33.1 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 86.3% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Norway vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.