Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guam instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 11.1 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Guam, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 82.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guam, that number is 5.6% as of 2025.
make 6.3 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Guam, the GDP per capita is $41,833 as of 2022.
Life
be 52.6% 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 Guam, on the other hand, 11.5 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 14.0% 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 Guam, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 10.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Guam, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 95.5% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Guam, that number is 126 km.
Safety
be 90.1% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Guam, that number is 4.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 65.6% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guam has 1.8 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Guam
Guam: At a glance
How big is Guam compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.