Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 36.5% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 86.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Timor-Leste, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.6 years less
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 8.8 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 6.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.9 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 20.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 31.3% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
be 30.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 15.1% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 92.3% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Timor-Leste, 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.
Expenditures
spend 14.9% more on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.0 times more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 535.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.8 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 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: Timor-Leste vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.