Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Qatar, you would:
Health
be 24.4% less likely to be obese
In Qatar, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Qatar, 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 16.2 years less
In Qatar, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 83 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 53.3% less spent on your healthcare
Qatar spends $2,901 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 73.7% fewer doctors per person
Qatar has 30.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 4.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Qatar has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 249.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Qatar, 0.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 90.9% less money
Qatar has a GDP per capita of $72,525 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 94.1% more children
In Qatar, there are approximately 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 29.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Qatar, approximately 4.0 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 5.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Qatar, approximately 4.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Qatar, 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 20.1% less likely to have internet access
In Qatar, approximately 98.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.5 times more on healthcare
Qatar spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.0 times more coastline
Qatar has a total of 563 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 624.6 times more likely to be murdered
Qatar has a homicide rate of 0.1 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 Qatar, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.3% less strain on fresh water
Qatar withdraws 431% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
find 54.7% less home broadband
Qatar has 11.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 83.7% less electricity
Qatar uses 19,963 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 48.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Qatar, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 85.5% less CO2
Qatar emits 47.3 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: Qatar vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Qatar? See an in-depth size comparison.