Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 34.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Portugal, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 16.1 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 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 75.9% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 72.5% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 86.4% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 19.3% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 93.6% more likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 79.4% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 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 9.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Portugal, 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 11.4% less likely to have internet access
In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.0% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 32.3% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 56.1% more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 60.7 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 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
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 5.5 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 38.7% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 4.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.