Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Cabo Verde instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 97.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Cabo Verde, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2020.

live 8.4 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

be 58.3% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Cabo Verde, that number is 11.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 57.2% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, that number is 12.0% as of 2023.

make 42.7% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Cabo Verde, the GDP per capita is $8,200 as of 2023.

be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Cabo Verde, however, that number is 35.2% as of 2015.

Life

be 66.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Cabo Verde, 42.0 women do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 12.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, that number is 97% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 30.2% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Cabo Verde, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 15.2% more on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Cabo Verde spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 65.5% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Cabo Verde, that number is 965 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Cabo Verde: At a glance

Cabo Verde is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 4,033 sq km. The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cabo Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cabo Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cabo Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cabo Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.
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How big is Cabo Verde compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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