Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria 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 Syria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.2 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 91.6% more doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
be 97.4% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 91.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 58.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 84.0% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 83.1% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.9% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
have 25.3% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 40.5% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 69.6% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.1% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 22.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 28.2% more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 84.0% more strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 73.7% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 81.5% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 76.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.