Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Jordan 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 Jordan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.

live 10.7 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Jordan, that number is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 25.4% more likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Jordan, that number is 35.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 33.5% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Jordan, that number is 19.2% as of 2022.

pay a 55.6% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Jordan, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 29.6% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,500 as of 2022, while in Jordan, the GDP per capita is $9,500 as of 2022.

Life

be 67.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Jordan, 41.0 women do as of 2020.

be 46.3% 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 Jordan, on the other hand, 13.9 children do as of 2022.

have 25.4% more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jordan, there are 22.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 11.9% 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 Jordan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 15.3% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Jordan, about 83.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 51.5% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Jordan spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 12.8% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Jordan, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 99.1% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Jordan, that number is 26 km.

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

Jordan: At a glance

Jordan is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 88,802 sq km. Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain demarcated a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country's long-time ruler, King HUSSEIN (1953-99), successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, King HUSSEIN's eldest son, assumed the throne following his father's death in 1999. He implemented modest political and economic reforms, but in the wake of the "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements. In January 2014, Jordan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
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How big is Jordan compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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