Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 3.2 years longer
In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 5.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Republic of the Congo, 3.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Republic of the Congo, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.4 times more money
Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $3,400 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 20.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Republic of the Congo, 36.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
be 59.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Republic of the Congo, 40.9% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 68.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 378.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 18.3% more likely to be literate
In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.3% as of 2018. In South Africa, it is 95.0% as of 2019.
be 46.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 41.7% fewer children
In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 31.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 30.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 36% in rural areas) as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 7.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 9.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
be 14.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 74.4% more on education
Republic of the Congo spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 4.3 times more on healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends 2.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 16.6 times more coastline
Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.