If you lived in Lithuania instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 98.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lithuania, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 10.9 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Lithuania, that number is 77 years (73 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 32.9% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lithuania, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare

South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lithuania spends $4,127 as of 2024.

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have 5.6 times more doctors per person

South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lithuania has 44.7 as of 2022.

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Economy

be 79.2% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lithuania, that number is 6.7% as of 2025.

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be 44.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Lithuania, however, that number is 20.9% as of 2021.

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make 5.0 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Lithuania, the GDP per capita is $32,959 as of 2025.

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Life

be 93.2% 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 Lithuania, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 88.4% 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 Lithuania, on the other hand, 2.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 64.3% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lithuania, there are 6.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Lithuania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 13.8% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lithuania, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 10.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Lithuania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 29.4% less on education

South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Lithuania spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 14.7% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lithuania, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 96.8% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Lithuania, that number is 90 km.

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Safety

be 94.0% less likely to be murdered

South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Lithuania, that number is 2.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 74.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lithuania, they kill 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 5.2 times more home broadband

South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lithuania has 27.9 as of 2024.

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live with 96.8% less strain on fresh water

South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lithuania withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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use 35.1% more electricity

South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Lithuania uses 4,387 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 17.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lithuania, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.

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emit 34.7% less CO2

South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lithuania emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Lithuania: At a glance

Lithuania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 62,680 sq km. Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795 when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. In January 2014, Lithuania assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
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