Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 19.1 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Hong Kong, that number is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 91.4% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
make 8.6 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $56,983 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.5% 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 Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.
have 73.5% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Hong Kong, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 22.2% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Hong Kong, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
be 10.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Hong Kong, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.7% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Hong Kong spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 73.8% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.
Safety
be 99.1% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Hong Kong, that number is 0.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 7.5 times more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Hong Kong has 40.3 as of 2024.
use 95.8% more electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 33.1% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Hong Kong
Hong Kong: At a glance
How big is Hong Kong compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.