Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Paraguay 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 Paraguay, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 13.1 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Paraguay, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

be 28.3% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Paraguay, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 79.3% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Paraguay, that number is 5.8% as of 2023.

be 48.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Paraguay, however, that number is 24.7% as of 2022.

Life

be 44.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Paraguay, 71.0 women do as of 2020.

be 10.3% 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 Paraguay, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2022.

have 10.2% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Paraguay, there are 15.9 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 people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Paraguay, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 50.0% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Paraguay spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 11.6% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Paraguay, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Paraguay: At a glance

Paraguay is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 397,302 sq km. Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.
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How big is Paraguay compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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