Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 98.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Kazakhstan, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 7.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Kazakhstan, that number is 73 years (67 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 25.8% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Kazakhstan, that number is 21.0% 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 Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $35,500 as of 2023.

be 82.7% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.

be 68.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Kazakhstan, however, that number is 5.2% as of 2022.

pay a 77.8% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Kazakhstan, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 89.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Kazakhstan, 13.0 women do as of 2020.

be 25.9% 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 Kazakhstan, on the other hand, 19.2 children do as of 2022.

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 Kazakhstan, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 19.4% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, about 86.0% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 31.8% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Kazakhstan spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 55.8% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Kazakhstan, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan: At a glance

Kazakhstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,699,700 sq km. Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70 percent Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; managing Islamic revivalism; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness; developing a multiparty parliament and advancing political and social reform; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
Read more

How big is Kazakhstan compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kazakhstan.or South Africa It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.