Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Yemen 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 Yemen, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 3.1 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 58.1% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
be 81.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Yemen, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 87.5% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Yemen spends $169 as of 2023.
have 87.7% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Yemen has 1.0 as of 2023.
have 40.8% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Yemen scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.5% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Yemen, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 85.9% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Yemen, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 39.7% 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 Yemen, on the other hand, 33.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Yemen, about 17.7% do as of 2022.
be 16.8% 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 Yemen, that number is 75% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 31.9% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Yemen, that number is 1,906 km.
Safety
be 21.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Yemen, they kill 29.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 76.3% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Yemen has 1.3 as of 2022.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Yemen withdraws 170% as of 2022.
use 97.2% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Yemen uses 90 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.2% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Yemen, it causes 109.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Yemen
Yemen: At a glance
How big is Yemen compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.