Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 16.3 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2020. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
make 3.3 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,600 as of 2017, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $44,300 as of 2017.
be 84.0% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 27.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.4% as of 2017.
Life
be 94.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In United Kingdom, 7.0 women do as of 2017.
be 85.3% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 27.8 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In United Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2020.
have 38.0% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 19.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In United Kingdom, there are 11.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 18.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 84% of the population has electricity access as of 2017. In United Kingdom, 100% of the population do as of 2016.
be 69.0% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 56.2% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In United Kingdom, about 94.9% do as of 2018.
Expenditures
spend 11.3% less on education
South Africa spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. United Kingdom spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2016.
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.