Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Chad instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 94.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Chad, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

be 78.4% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Chad, that number is 6.1% of people as of 2016.

live 6.2 years less

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Chad, that number is 59 years (57 years for men, 61 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 96.1% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Chad, that number is 1.1% as of 2023.

make 87.4% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Chad, the GDP per capita is $1,800 as of 2023.

be 2.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Chad, however, that number is 42.3% as of 2018.

pay a 33.3% higher top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Chad, the top tax rate is 60.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 50.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Chad, 63.0 women do as of 2020.

have 2.2 times more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Chad, there are 39.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 71.8% less likely to be literate

In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Chad, it is 26.8% as of 2021.

be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Chad, on the other hand, 65.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 86.5% less 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 Chad, that number is 12% of people on average (43% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 75.0% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Chad, about 18.0% do as of 2021.

be 37.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In South Africa, approximately 97% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Chad, that number is 61% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 52% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 56.1% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Chad spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 37.2% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Chad, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, General Inspectorate of Finance.

Chad: At a glance

Chad is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,259,200 sq km. Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare, as well as invasions by Libya, before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and the insurgents. In 2005, new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and made probing attacks into eastern Chad despite signing peace agreements in December 2006 and October 2007. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007. The capital experienced a significant insurrection in early 2008, but has had no significant rebel threats since then, in part due to Chad's 2010 rapprochement with Sudan, which previously used Chadian rebels as proxies. DEBY in 2011 was reelected to his fourth term in an election that international observers described as proceeding without incident. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In January 2014, Chad began a two year rotation on the UN Security Council.
Read more

How big is Chad compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chad.or South Africa It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.