Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 86.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Rwanda, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2020.
be 79.5% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Rwanda, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 90.5% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Rwanda, that number is 2.7% as of 2014.
pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Rwanda, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.
make 81.7% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $2,100 as of 2020.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Rwanda, however, that number is 38.2% as of 2016.
Life
have 42.5% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Rwanda, there are 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Rwanda, 248.0 women do as of 2017.
be 22.9% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Rwanda, it is 73.2% as of 2018.
Basic Needs
be 43.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Rwanda, that number is 53% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 61.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Rwanda, about 27.0% do as of 2020.
be 14.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 97% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Rwanda, that number is 83% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 50.0% less on education
South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Rwanda spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 29.7% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Rwanda, that number is 6.4% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Rwanda Revenue Authority, South African Revenue Service.
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.