Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Tuvalu, you would:
Health
be 45.2% less likely to be obese
In Tuvalu, 51.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
live 3.1 years less
In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 71 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.
Economy
make 2.6 times more money
Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $4,400 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 36.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Tuvalu, 26.3% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 10.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Tuvalu, approximately 28.9 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 18.2% fewer children
In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 42.9% more likely to have internet access
In Tuvalu, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 62.1% less on healthcare
Tuvalu spends 24.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 116.6 times more coastline
Tuvalu has a total of 24 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 Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.