Quality of life comparison
If you lived in California instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 10.6% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In California, that number is 28.4% of people as of 2022.
Economy
be 84.3% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In California, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 69.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In California, however, that number is 11.7% as of 2023.
make 12.7 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in California, the GDP per capita is $84,028 as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.2% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In California, about 92.6% do as of 2023.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this
