Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Estonia, you would:
Health
be 23.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Estonia, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 12.6 years less
In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (73 years for men, 83 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 33.5% more likely to be obese
In Estonia, 21.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 26.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
make 66.0% less money
Estonia has a GDP per capita of $42,000 as of 2023, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $14,300 as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Estonia, 6.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 28.0% as of 2023.
pay a 2.2 times higher top tax rate
Estonia has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Estonia, there are approximately 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Estonia, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Africa, 127.0 women do as of 2020.
be 7.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Estonia, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Estonia, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In South Africa, 86% of the population do as of 2022.
be 25.1% less likely to have internet access
In Estonia, approximately 96.1% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Africa, about 72.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% more on healthcare
Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 26.3% less coastline
Estonia has a total of 3,794 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Estonian Tax and Customs Board, The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.