Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Italy instead of South Dakota, you would:
Health
live 5.9 years longer
In South Dakota, the average life expectancy is 77 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In Italy, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 14.6% less money
South Dakota has a GDP per capita of $61,724 as of 2024, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $52,700 as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Dakota, 2.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.
be 79.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Dakota, 11.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 15.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Dakota, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Italy, about 75.0% do as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Italy: At a glance
How big is Italy compared to South Dakota? See an in-depth size comparison.