Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Trinidad and Tobago, you would:
Health
be 27.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Trinidad and Tobago, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 10.6 years less
In Trinidad and Tobago, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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.
be 52.2% more likely to be obese
In Trinidad and Tobago, 18.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 17.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Trinidad and Tobago, 20.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
make 49.8% less money
Trinidad and Tobago has a GDP per capita of $28,500 as of 2023, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $14,300 as of 2023.
be 6.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Trinidad and Tobago, 4.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 28.0% as of 2023.
pay a 80.0% higher top tax rate
Trinidad and Tobago has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 68.6% more children
In Trinidad and Tobago, there are approximately 10.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 27.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Africa, 127.0 women do as of 2020.
be 63.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 15.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In South Africa, 86% of the population do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 61.0% more on education
Trinidad and Tobago spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 17.8% more on healthcare
Trinidad and Tobago spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 7.7 times more coastline
Trinidad and Tobago has a total of 362 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, Inland Revenue Division, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Trinidad and Tobago? See an in-depth size comparison.