Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 9.6 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 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 191.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 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.
be 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 14.4 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $800 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
Life
be 85.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 829.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 70.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 86.5 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 51.1% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 38.0 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 5.2 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (34% in urban areas, and 4% 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 35.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 2.0% 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 Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% 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.
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 Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.