Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 99.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Slovakia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2018.

live 13.0 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Slovakia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

be 27.6% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Slovakia, that number is 20.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.7 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Slovakia, the GDP per capita is $39,300 as of 2023.

be 79.1% less likely to be unemployed

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

be 17.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Slovakia, however, that number is 13.7% as of 2021.

pay a 44.4% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Slovakia, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 96.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Slovakia, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 81.4% 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 Slovakia, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2022.

have 49.5% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Slovakia, there are 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

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 Slovakia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 25.0% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Slovakia, about 90.0% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 30.3% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Slovakia spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 16.3% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Slovakia, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Tax Directorate, Slovakia.

Slovakia: At a glance

Slovakia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 48,105 sq km. Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.
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