Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Oman 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 Oman, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 13.9 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Oman, that number is 80 years (79 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Oman has 19.9 as of 2022.
be 95.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Oman, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.0% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Oman, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 3.0 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Oman, the GDP per capita is $19,947 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.0% 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 Oman, 13.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.7% 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 Oman, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.
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 Oman, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 21.6% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Oman, about 95.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.2% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Oman spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 60.8% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Oman, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.2% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Oman, that number is 2,092 km.
Safety
be 99.7% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Oman, that number is 0.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 55.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Oman, they kill 11.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Oman has 11.1 as of 2024.
use 2.5 times more electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Oman uses 8,203 kWh as of 2023.
live with 72.6% more strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Oman withdraws 117% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Oman, it causes 104.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Oman emits 18.6 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. Oman
Oman: At a glance
How big is Oman compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.