Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea 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 Eritrea, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 2.6 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 86.4% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
be 40.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 93.6% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 88.9% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 36.6% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.5% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 55.4% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times 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 Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 38.0% 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 Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 66.1% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 58.7% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.2% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Eritrea, that number is 2,234 km.
Safety
be 27.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Eritrea, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 83.5% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 96.8% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
use 96.2% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.8% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 66.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.