Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Poland, you would:
Health
live 12.1 years less
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 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.
be 45.8% more likely to be obese
In Poland, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 65.6% less spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 80.3% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 13.4% less access to essential health services
Poland scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 63.1% more likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Poland, 13.5% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 76.8% less money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 59.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 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 6.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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 Poland, 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 11.5% less likely to have internet access
In Poland, approximately 88.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.7% more on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 10.5% more on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.4 times more coastline
Poland has a total of 440 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Poland, 11% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 54.6 times more likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 78.9% less home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 25.7% less electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 14.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.