Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 99.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Greece, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2020.

live 16.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Greece, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 12.0% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Greece, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.5 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Greece, the GDP per capita is $36,300 as of 2023.

be 60.7% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Greece, that number is 11.0% as of 2023.

be 13.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Greece, however, that number is 18.8% as of 2021.

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 Greece, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 86.3% 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 Greece, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2022.

have 58.2% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greece, there are 7.4 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 Greece, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 33.3% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Greece spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 10.5% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Greece, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 4.9 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

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

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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How big is Greece compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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