Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 20.1% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 35.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
be 191.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Saudi Arabia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 11.3 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 78 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.
Economy
make 74.0% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $44,300 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
Life
have 30.5% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 7.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 17.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 12.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 28.6% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 59.6% more on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
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 Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.