Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cabo Verde instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 94.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2024.
live 9.9 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 47.4% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 16.7% of people as of 2024.
be 33.2% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cabo Verde, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 54.5% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cabo Verde spends $617 as of 2023.
Economy
be 63.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cabo Verde, that number is 11.9% as of 2025.
be 34.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, however, that number is 24.8% as of 2023.
make 12.1% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Cabo Verde, the GDP per capita is $5,796 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, 40.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.2% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, on the other hand, 10.6 children do as of 2024.
have 33.9% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, that number is 99% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 27.7% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Cabo Verde spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 65.5% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Cabo Verde, that number is 965 km.
Safety
be 84.0% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, that number is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 32.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cabo Verde, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 55.3% more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cabo Verde has 8.3 as of 2024.
live with 11.7% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cabo Verde withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 81.2% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 25.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cabo Verde, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde: At a glance
How big is Cabo Verde compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.