Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
see 8.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 8.1 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 69.0% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 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 Yemen, 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 3.1 years less
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 28.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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 46.2% fewer children
In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 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 4.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 20.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% 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.
Geography
see 46.8% more coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 17.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.2 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 60.2% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 36.2 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 56.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.5 times more CO2
Yemen 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.