Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Seychelles, you would:
Health
live 10.0 years less
In Seychelles, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 81 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.
have 88.0% fewer doctors per person
Seychelles has 66.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Seychelles has a suicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 66.1% less money
Seychelles has a GDP per capita of $19,449 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 68.0% more children
In Seychelles, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Seychelles, approximately 42.0 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 87.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Seychelles, approximately 12.9 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 Seychelles, 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 10.8% less likely to have internet access
In Seychelles, approximately 87.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.3% more on education
Seychelles spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 98.9% more on healthcare
Seychelles spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.7 times more coastline
Seychelles has a total of 491 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 5.5 times more likely to be murdered
Seychelles has a homicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Seychelles, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 83.1% less home broadband
Seychelles has 31.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Seychelles vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Seychelles? See an in-depth size comparison.