Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years less
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 80.5% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 57.7% less spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 84.5% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 10.1% less access to essential health services
Russia scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 5.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 62.4% less money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 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 5.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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 Russia, 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 17.0% less likely to have internet access
In Russia, approximately 94.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.7% more on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 26.6% more on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.6% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 6.5 times more likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 59.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Russia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 80.3% less home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 16.4 times more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 55.4% less electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 50.8% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 20.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 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: Russia vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.