Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 19.7 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Macau, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 7.1 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Macau, the GDP per capita is $102,000 as of 2023.

be 92.0% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Macau, that number is 2.2% as of 2023.

pay a 73.3% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Macau, the top tax rate is 12.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 82.3% 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 Macau, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2022.

have 51.4% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macau, there are 8.6 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 Macau, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 22.2% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Macau, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Geography

see 98.5% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Macau, that number is 41 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Secretariat for Economy and Finance, South African Revenue Service.

Macau: At a glance

Macau is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 28 sq km. Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Macau compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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