Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Libya instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Libya, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.8 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Libya, that number is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
be 77.6% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Libya, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 22.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Libya spends $1,055 as of 2023.
have 12.7% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Libya scores 62 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Libya, that number is 18.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% 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 Libya, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.4% 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 Libya, on the other hand, 7.9 children do as of 2024.
have 10.7% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Libya, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.5% 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 Libya, that number is 73% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 12.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Libya, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 36.7% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Libya, that number is 1,770 km.
Safety
be 38.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Libya, they kill 34.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 16.9% more electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Libya uses 3,796 kWh as of 2023.
find 15.5% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Libya has 4.5 as of 2022.
live with 12.1 times more strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Libya withdraws 817% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Libya, it causes 54.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.9% more CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Libya emits 8.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Libya
Libya: At a glance
How big is Libya compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.