Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Canada instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 18.5 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Canada, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 4.0 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in Canada, the GDP per capita is $45,900 as of 2020.
be 80.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Canada, that number is 5.7% as of 2019.
be 43.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Canada, however, that number is 9.4% as of 2008.
pay a 26.7% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Canada, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 91.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Canada, 10.0 women do as of 2017.
be 83.1% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Canada, on the other hand, 4.4 children do as of 2022.
have 45.2% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Canada, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 38.6% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Canada, about 97.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 22.1% less on education
South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Canada spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2011.
spend 18.7% more on healthcare
South Africa spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Canada, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 72.2 times more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Canada, that number is 202,080 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Canada Revenue Agency, South African Revenue Service.
Canada: At a glance
How big is Canada compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.