Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

live 7.0 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 41.3% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 16.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 85.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 4.0% as of 2023.

make 55.2% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Kyrgyzstan, the GDP per capita is $6,400 as of 2023.

be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Kyrgyzstan, however, that number is 33.3% as of 2021.

Life

be 60.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Kyrgyzstan, 50.0 women do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 15.3% more 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 Kyrgyzstan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 23.6% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Kyrgyzstan, about 55.0% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 38.4% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Kyrgyzstan: At a glance

Kyrgyzstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 191,801 sq km. A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAEV, who had run the country since 1990. Former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV overwhelmingly won the presidential election in the summer of 2005. Over the next few years, he manipulated the parliament to accrue new powers for the presidency. In July 2009, after months of harassment against his opponents and media critics, BAKIEV won re-election in a presidential campaign that the international community deemed flawed. In April 2010, violent protests in Bishkek led to the collapse of the BAKIEV regime and his eventual fleeing to Minsk, Belarus. His successor, Roza OTUNBAEVA, served as transitional president until Almazbek ATAMBAEV was inaugurated in December 2011, marking the first peaceful transfer of presidential power in independent Kyrgyzstan's history. Continuing concerns include: the trajectory of democratization, endemic corruption, poor interethnic relations, and terrorism.
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