Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 98.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Vietnam, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.
live 10.2 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Vietnam, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.
be 92.6% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Vietnam, that number is 2.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 94.7% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2022.
be 71.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Vietnam, however, that number is 4.8% as of 2020.
pay a 22.2% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Vietnam, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.
make 15.6% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,500 as of 2022, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $11,400 as of 2022.
Life
be 43.0% 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 Vietnam, on the other hand, 14.8 children do as of 2022.
have 15.8% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 14.9 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 people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Vietnam, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 37.9% less on education
South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vietnam spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 45.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vietnam, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 23.1% more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Department Of Taxation - Ministry Of Finance, South African Revenue Service.
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.