Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, you would:
Health
see 49.2% more spent on your healthcare
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends $908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
be 21.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.1 years less
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 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 54.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a suicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 18.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 47.5% less money
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a GDP per capita of $12,562 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 54.5% more children
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, there are approximately 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 56.0 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 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 10.2 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 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.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.3 times more coastline
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a total of 84 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 14.8% less likely to be murdered
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a homicide rate of 51.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, road accidents kill 4.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 81.8% less home broadband
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has 29.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 8.6 times more strain on fresh water
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 88.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.3 times more CO2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs. South Africa
MORE COMPARISONS
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines? See an in-depth size comparison.