Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Spain 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 Spain, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 17.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 15.9% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Spain, that number is 23.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.2 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 56.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

be 21.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

Life

be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 90.5% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 59.9% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 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 Spain, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 30.6% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Spain, about 94.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 30.3% less on education

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

spend 24.4% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Spain, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 77.4% more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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