Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 97.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 11.3 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
have 2.9 times more doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
be 66.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 89.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 43.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ecuador, however, that number is 21.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 53.4% 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 Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.0% 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
have 19.8% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.5% 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 Ecuador, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 38.7% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 15.2% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.1% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Infrastructure
find 3.2 times more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.
live with 90.0% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
use 48.4% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 51.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 61.6% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.