Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Lebanon, you would:
Health
be 11.6% less likely to be obese
In Lebanon, 32.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
be 191.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lebanon, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 13.4 years less
In Lebanon, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 80 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
be 39.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lebanon, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Lebanon, 11.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 28.8% as of 2022.
pay a 2.2 times higher top tax rate
Lebanon 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 40.5% more children
In Lebanon, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Lebanon, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Africa, 127.0 women do as of 2020.
be 3.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Lebanon, approximately 7.0 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 10.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Lebanon, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In South Africa, 89% of the population do as of 2021.
be 17.2% less likely to have internet access
In Lebanon, approximately 87.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Africa, about 72.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 3.9 times more on education
Lebanon spends 1.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 12.4 times more coastline
Lebanon has a total of 225 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, Ministry of Finance, Lebanon, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Lebanon? See an in-depth size comparison.