Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
be 46.5% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 52.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
live 9.3 years less
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 77 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 2.2 times more money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $6,000 as of 2022, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $13,500 as of 2022.
be 19.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Marshall Islands, 36.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2006. In South Africa, that number is 28.8% as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 19.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 21.7 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.
have 16.5% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 21.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 86.0% more likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 38.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Africa, about 72.0% do as of 2021.
be 10.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Marshall Islands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2021. In South Africa, that number is 89% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 51.5% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 13.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 33.8% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 7.6 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 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 Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.