Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guyana instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 90.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 4.0 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
have 74.7% more doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.
be 11.1% more likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.
make 4.9 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.4% 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 Guyana, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 12.8% 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 Guyana, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 72.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 83.6% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.
Safety
be 56.3% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Guyana, that number is 19.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 38.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guyana, they kill 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guyana has 12.9 as of 2022.
live with 95.1% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guyana withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 33.7% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Guyana
Guyana: At a glance
How big is Guyana compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.