South Africa: what if you were born here?
Every year 1,186,793 babies are born here — 1.3% of the births across the game’s 30 countries.
66.2 yearsLife expectancy
27%Lived to 80
1,000 lives born here, lived by the game
Each life starts from this country’s births and makes the choices most people make. Shares of adults are of the lives that reached 30. Next to each figure: the same for babies born anywhere in the game’s 30 countries.
Average lifespan66.9 years30 countries 71.4 years
Lived to 8027%30 countries 40.5%
Ever married91.3%30 countries 93.2%
Children, on average2.2330 countries 2.54
Went to university22.4%30 countries 31.4%
Rose far above their start8.9%30 countries 7.4%
Moved abroad2.1%30 countries 2.3%
How these lives ended — the most common
The most common work
Official statistics
| Year | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth, women | 69.8 years | 2024 | World Bank WDI |
| Life expectancy at birth, men | 62.8 years | 2024 | World Bank WDI |
| Infant deaths per 1,000 births | 24.2 | 2024 | World Bank WDI |
| Deaths before 5 per 1,000 births | 35.1 | 2024 | World Bank WDI |
| Births per woman | 2.21 | 2024 | World Bank WDI |
| Income per person (GDP, PPP) | $15,906 | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Inequality (Gini index) | 54.1 | 2022 | World Bank WDI |
| Expected years of schooling | 13.8 years | 2023 | UNDP Human Development Report 2025 via Our World in Data |
| Living in cities | 63.8% | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Using the internet | 78.4% | 2024 | World Bank WDI |
| Life satisfaction (0–10) | 5.01 | 2025 | World Happiness Report |
| Military service | Not compulsory | 2024 | CIA World Factbook 2024 reproduced by Theodora.com |
Other countries
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- China
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- France
- Germany
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Italy
- Japan
- Kenya
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Tanzania
- Türkiye
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Vietnam