Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 99.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Finland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2018.

live 16.4 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 21.6% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Finland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 4.0 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $57,500 as of 2023.

be 74.4% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 7.2% as of 2023.

be 26.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Finland, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2022.

pay a 14.7% higher top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Finland, the top tax rate is 51.6% as of 2016.

Life

be 93.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.8% 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 Finland, on the other hand, 2.1 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 Finland, 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 Finland, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 29.2% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Finland, about 93.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 10.6% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Finland spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 11.6% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Finland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 55.3% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

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

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
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How big is Finland compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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