Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 97.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 0.4% 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 Mexico, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 56.6% more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $22,400 as of 2023.

be 90.0% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

pay a 22.2% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Mexico, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Mexico, however, that number is 36.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 53.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mexico, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 54.2% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 11.9 children do as of 2022.

have 19.2% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 14.3 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 Mexico, 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. Mexico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 27.9% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.3 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP, South African Revenue Service.

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
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How big is Mexico compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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