Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 16.6 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In United Kingdom, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 3.5 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,500 as of 2022, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $47,600 as of 2022.
be 87.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In United Kingdom, that number is 3.7% as of 2022.
be 12.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.
Life
be 92.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In United Kingdom, 10.0 women do as of 2020.
be 85.2% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United Kingdom, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2022.
have 39.0% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In United Kingdom, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
be 34.7% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In United Kingdom, about 97.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 16.7% less on education
South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. United Kingdom spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 39.5% more on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United Kingdom, that number is 12.0% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 4.4 times more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.