Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 10.8 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.

be 78.1% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In China, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 54.5% more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in China, the GDP per capita is $22,100 as of 2023.

be 83.3% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In China, that number is 4.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 81.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In China, 23.0 women do as of 2020.

be 73.9% 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 China, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2022.

have 42.4% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 10.2 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 China, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 45.5% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. China spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 34.9% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In China, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.2 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

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

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
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How big is China compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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