Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Syria, you would:
Health
see 11.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 10.9% more access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.2 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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.
have 47.8% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 37.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.2 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 5.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 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 36.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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.
have 20.2% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 68.2% more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.3 times more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 14.5 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 18.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 45.6% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 3.8 times more electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 22.0% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 43.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.4 times more CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.