Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 97.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Indonesia, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 7.8 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Indonesia, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

be 75.6% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Indonesia, that number is 6.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 88.0% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Indonesia, that number is 3.5% as of 2022.

be 42.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Indonesia, however, that number is 9.5% as of 2022.

pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Indonesia, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 23.7% 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 Indonesia, on the other hand, 19.7 children do as of 2022.

be 36.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Indonesia, 173.0 women do as of 2020.

have 16.4% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Indonesia, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 11.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 89% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Indonesia, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 13.9% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Indonesia, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 47.0% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Indonesia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 60.5% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Indonesia, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 19.6 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Indonesia, that number is 54,716 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direktorat Jenderal Pajak, South African Revenue Service.

Indonesia: At a glance

Indonesia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,811,569 sq km. The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; Japan occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence shortly before Japan's surrender, but it required four years of sometimes brutal fighting, intermittent negotiations, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to transfer sovereignty in 1949. A period of sometimes unruly parliamentary democracy ended in 1957 when President SOEKARNO declared martial law and instituted "Guided Democracy." After an abortive coup in 1965 by alleged communist sympathizers, SOEKARNO was gradually eased from power. From 1967 until 1988, President SUHARTO ruled Indonesia with his "New Order" government. After rioting toppled Suharto in 1998, free and fair legislative elections took place in 1999. Indonesia is now the world's third most populous democracy, the world's largest archipelagic state, and the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, improving education, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing economic and financial reforms, stemming corruption, reforming the criminal justice system, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, addressing climate change, and controlling infectious diseases, particularly those of global and regional importance. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to democratic elections in Aceh in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face low intensity armed resistance in Papua by the separatist Free Papua Movement.
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How big is Indonesia compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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