Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

live 21.0 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Singapore, that number is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 years for women) as of 2022.

be 78.4% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 8.9 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $127,500 as of 2023.

be 87.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Singapore, that number is 3.5% as of 2023.

pay a 51.1% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Singapore, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 94.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Singapore, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 94.0% 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 Singapore, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.

have 50.3% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Singapore, there are 8.8 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 Singapore, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 26.4% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Singapore, about 91.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 57.6% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Singapore spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 29.1% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 93.1% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, South African Revenue Service.

Singapore: At a glance

Singapore is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 709 sq km. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
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How big is Singapore compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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