Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 9.3 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.
be 86.9% more likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Marshall Islands, that number is 52.9% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 56.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 47.1% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,600 as of 2024, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $7,200 as of 2024.
Life
be 16.3% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 21.7 children do as of 2022.
have 20.9% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
be 31.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 13.2% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 76.0% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, about 66.0% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Marshall Islands spends 13.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 51.2% more on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.0% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 86.8% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.