Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Indonesia, you would:
Health
be 47.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Indonesia, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 7.8 years less
In Indonesia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 4.1 times more likely to be obese
In Indonesia, 6.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Indonesia, 3.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 28.0% as of 2023.
be 76.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Indonesia, 9.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate
Indonesia has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 26.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Indonesia, approximately 173.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Africa, 127.0 women do as of 2020.
have 19.6% more children
In Indonesia, there are approximately 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 31.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Indonesia, approximately 19.7 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 16.1% more likely to have internet access
In Indonesia, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Africa, about 72.0% do as of 2021.
be 13.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Indonesia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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.
Expenditures
spend 88.6% more on education
Indonesia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Indonesia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 94.9% less coastline
Indonesia has a total of 54,716 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, Direktorat Jenderal Pajak, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Indonesia? See an in-depth size comparison.