Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 39.6% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.
be 68.5% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.4 years less
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 55.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.
have 80.7% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 35.2% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.3% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 33.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2022.
Life
have 62.3% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 47.5% more 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.
be 96.7% more 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.7% less 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 19.2% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.7% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.4% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.
Safety
be 52.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.7% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 98.1% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.
use 75.6% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 62.9% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 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 Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea: At a glance
How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.