Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sweden, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 17.8 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 81.5% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 82.6% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 82.0% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 16.5% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 61.1% more likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 89.5% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 98.7% more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 29.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.2% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.8% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 20.6% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.1% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 38.0 times more likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 49.3% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Sweden, 73% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 11.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.8% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 18.9 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 73.4% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 92.7% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.