Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kenya instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 78.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Kenya, that number is 4.2% of people as of 2020.
live 4.4 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Kenya, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.
be 74.9% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Kenya, that number is 7.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 80.4% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Kenya, that number is 5.6% as of 2022.
pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Kenya, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.
make 63.7% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,500 as of 2022, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $4,900 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Kenya, however, that number is 36.1% as of 2016.
Life
have 44.6% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Kenya, 530.0 women do as of 2020.
be 13.1% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Kenya, it is 82.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 14.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 89% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2021.
be 59.7% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Kenya, about 29.0% do as of 2021.
be 26.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 97% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Kenya, that number is 71% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 27.3% less on education
South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Kenya spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 50.0% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 80.8% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Kenya, that number is 536 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service.
Kenya: At a glance
How big is Kenya compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.