Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Togo, you would:
Health
be 9.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Togo, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 6.0 years less
In Togo, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Togo, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 4.9 times more money
Togo has a GDP per capita of $2,800 as of 2024, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $13,600 as of 2024.
be 63.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Togo, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 16.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Togo, 2.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 33.2% as of 2024.
Life
be 66.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Togo, approximately 349.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor 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 37.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Togo, approximately 41.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 43.0% fewer children
In Togo, there are approximately 30.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In South Africa, there are 17.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 51.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Togo, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 86% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Togo, approximately 37.0% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In South Africa, about 76.0% do as of 2023.
be 33.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Togo, approximately 71% of people have improved drinking water access (87% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 65.0% more on education
Togo spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 43.3% more on healthcare
Togo spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.
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.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Togo? See an in-depth size comparison.