Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.4 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 31.3% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
be 12.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, it is 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 88.7% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Solomon Islands spends $153 as of 2023.
have 70.0% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Solomon Islands has 2.4 as of 2023.
have 33.8% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Solomon Islands scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 95.6% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Solomon Islands, that number is 1.4% as of 2025.
make 68.4% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Solomon Islands, the GDP per capita is $2,086 as of 2025.
Life
be 32.2% 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 Solomon Islands, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
have 44.5% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, there are 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 62.9% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, about 29.0% do as of 2024.
be 20.6% less 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 Solomon Islands, that number is 72% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 65% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.8% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 37.7% more on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.9% more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5,313 km.
Safety
be 54.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, they kill 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.9% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Solomon Islands has 0.1 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.5% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Solomon Islands emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 21.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Solomon Islands, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: At a glance
How big is Solomon Islands compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.