Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 90.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Haiti, that number is 1.9% of people as of 2020.

be 19.8% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Haiti, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 47.8% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Haiti, that number is 14.6% as of 2023.

make 79.7% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Haiti, the GDP per capita is $2,900 as of 2023.

be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Haiti, however, that number is 58.5% as of 2012.

Life

have 19.8% more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Haiti, there are 21.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Haiti, 350.0 women do as of 2020.

be 35.1% less likely to be literate

In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Haiti, it is 61.7% as of 2016.

be 54.7% 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 Haiti, on the other hand, 40.0 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 43.0% 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 Haiti, that number is 49% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 3% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 45.8% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Haiti, about 39.0% do as of 2021.

be 20.9% 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 Haiti, that number is 76% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 78.8% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Haiti spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 61.6% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Haiti, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 36.7% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Haiti, that number is 1,771 km.

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

Haiti: At a glance

Haiti is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 27,560 sq km. The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first post-colonial black-led nation in the world, declaring its independence in 1804. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced political instability for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations. Continued instability and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti inaugurated a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. This was followed by contested elections in 2010 that resulted in the election of Haiti's current President, Michel MARTELLY. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years.
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How big is Haiti compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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