Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Italy 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 Italy, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2020.

live 17.3 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 29.7% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Italy, that number is 19.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.7 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $52,700 as of 2023.

be 72.8% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

be 21.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

Life

be 96.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Italy, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 87.8% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 59.9% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 7.1 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 Italy, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 34.8% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Italy spends 4.3% 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 Italy, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.7 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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