Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mexico instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 97.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.
live 7.0 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 50.4% more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,500 as of 2022, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $20,300 as of 2022.
be 88.7% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 3.3% as of 2022.
pay a 22.2% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Mexico, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.
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 Mexico, however, that number is 36.3% as of 2022.
Life
be 53.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mexico, 59.0 women do as of 2020.
be 54.2% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 11.9 children do as of 2022.
have 19.2% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Mexico, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 34.8% less on education
South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Mexico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 27.9% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP, South African Revenue Service.
Mexico: At a glance
How big is Mexico compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.