Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sudan instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 98.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
be 44.0% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 17.8% of people as of 2024.
be 85.8% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sudan, it is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 97.9% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sudan spends $28 as of 2023.
have 38.0% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sudan scores 44 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.6% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sudan, that number is 11.4% as of 2023.
make 82.3% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Sudan, the GDP per capita is $1,165 as of 2025.
Life
have 78.6% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sudan, there are 33.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more 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 Sudan, 256.0 women do as of 2023.
be 77.3% more 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 Sudan, on the other hand, 42.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.7% less 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 Sudan, that number is 66% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 63.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sudan, about 28.7% do as of 2022.
be 28.1% 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 Sudan, that number is 65% of people on average (74% in urban areas, and 60% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 68.0% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 69.5% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Sudan, that number is 853 km.
Safety
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sudan, they kill 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.9% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sudan has 0.1 as of 2022.
live with 75.5% more strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sudan withdraws 119% as of 2022.
use 93.1% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sudan uses 223 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.8% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 48.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sudan, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2023), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Sudan
Sudan: At a glance
How big is Sudan compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.