Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 96.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Chile, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2020.

live 14.5 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Chile, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 2.1 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Chile, the GDP per capita is $29,500 as of 2023.

be 67.7% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Chile, that number is 9.0% as of 2023.

be 34.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Chile, however, that number is 10.8% as of 2020.

pay a 11.1% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Chile, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 88.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Chile, 15.0 women do as of 2020.

be 74.7% less 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 Chile, on the other hand, 6.5 children do as of 2022.

have 29.9% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Chile, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Chile, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 25.0% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Chile, about 90.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 15.2% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Chile spends 5.6% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 14.0% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Chile, that number is 9.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.3 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Chile, that number is 6,435 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Chilean Tax Administration, South African Revenue Service.

Chile: At a glance

Chile is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 743,812 sq km. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the Inca ruled northern Chile while the Mapuche inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche were brought under central government control. After a series of elected governments, the three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was inaugurated in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation. In January 2014, Chile assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
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How big is Chile compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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