Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 39.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Namibia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2020.
live 1.2 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Namibia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.
be 39.2% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Namibia, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 30.6% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 19.4% as of 2023.
pay a 17.8% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Namibia, the top tax rate is 37.0% as of 2016.
make 19.6% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2023.
Life
have 37.3% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 69.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Namibia, 215.0 women do as of 2020.
be 13.7% more 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 35.0% less 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 Namibia, that number is 56% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 26.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Namibia, about 53.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 45.5% more on education
South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Namibia spends 9.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 43.8% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Inland Revenue Department.
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.