Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Oman, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Oman, 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 13.9 years less
In Oman, the average life expectancy is 80 years (79 years for men, 82 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.
have 60.1% fewer doctors per person
Oman has 19.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 24.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Oman has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Oman, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 66.9% less money
Oman has a GDP per capita of $19,947 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 10.1% more children
In Oman, there are approximately 16.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Oman, approximately 13.0 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 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Oman, approximately 8.3 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 Oman, 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 17.7% less likely to have internet access
In Oman, approximately 95.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.4% more on education
Oman spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Oman spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.7% more coastline
Oman has a total of 2,092 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 312.3 times more likely to be murdered
Oman has a homicide rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Oman, road accidents kill 11.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 42.1% less strain on fresh water
Oman withdraws 117% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
find 51.6% less home broadband
Oman has 11.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 60.4% less electricity
Oman uses 8,203 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 54.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Oman, air pollution causes 104.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 63.1% less CO2
Oman emits 18.6 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Oman vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Oman? See an in-depth size comparison.