Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Togo, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In Togo, the average life expectancy is 63 years (63 years for men, 63 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.
see 7.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Togo spends $186 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 9.9 times more doctors per person
Togo has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 61.4% more access to essential health services
Togo scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 10.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Togo, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Togo, 13.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Togo has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Togo, 43.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 4.8 times more money
Togo has a GDP per capita of $1,384 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 16.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Togo, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 66.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Togo, approximately 349.0 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 25.6% more likely to be literate
In Togo, the literacy rate is 72.6% as of 2022. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
be 30.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Togo, approximately 34.8 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 42.4% fewer children
In Togo, there are approximately 32.1 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 48.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Togo, approximately 59% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 30% 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 98.5% more likely to have internet access
In Togo, approximately 39.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 39.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Togo, approximately 65% of people have access to drinking water (74% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.4% more on education
Togo spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 45.8% more on healthcare
Togo spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 50.0 times more coastline
Togo has a total of 56 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Infrastructure
find 3.8 times more home broadband
Togo has 1.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 13.2 times more electricity
Togo uses 246 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 19.9 times more strain on fresh water
Togo withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Togo, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.2 times more CO2
Togo emits 0.3 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Togo vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Togo? See an in-depth size comparison.