Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 191.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 9.0 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 4.7 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2015, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $13,500 as of 2022.
be 79.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 28.8% as of 2022.
pay a 2.0 times higher top tax rate
Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 4.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Africa, 127.0 women do as of 2020.
be 63.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 18.4% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 54.5% more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Africa, about 72.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% more on education
Syria spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 14.5 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.