Published: Monday, 21th October 2024
The Standard of living in Jamaica is 1.06 times better as compared to South Africa.
In this page, you will find side-by-side Standard of Living comparison between Jamaica and South Africa. We have created 53 standard-of-living indicators. We average the values and ranges of all those indicators and take a mathematically calculated approach to determine which country has a better standard of living between Jamaica and South Africa.
 Indicators  | Jamaica  | South Africa  |
|---|---|---|
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)(2023)  | $18.761 billion USD | $401.470 billion USD |
GDP Per Capita (2023)  | 6,830 USD | 6,430 USD |
GINI Ratio (2023)  | 0.35 | 0.63 |
Inflation on Consumer Prices (2023)  | 6.47 % annually | 6.07 % annually |
Central Government Debt (2023)  | 106.3 % of GDP | 76.5 % of GDP |
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of the total value of all goods and services produced within a country in a specific time period, usually a year. It is used to gauge the economic performance of a country and indicates how wealthy and productive a nation is. In simple terms, GDP tells us how much a country is producing and how well its economy is doing.
As per the statistics from the World Bank Data for the year 2023, the total GDP of Jamaica is $18.761 billion USD and that of South Africa is $401.470 billion USD.
On the other hand, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Per Capita is the average economic output per person in a country. Simply put, it shows how much, on average, each person contributes to the economy, giving an idea of the standard of living and economic well-being of the people in that country.
From the above data, we can say that a person living and working in Jamaica contributes more to the country's economy compared to a person working in South Africa.
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Human Development Index (HDI) (2024)  | 0.706 | 0.717 |
Human Capital Index (HCI) (2024)  | 0.53 | 0.43 |
Literacy Rate (2023)  | 79.92% (15 years+ above age) | 90% (15 years+ above age) |
Life Expectancy Ratio (2023)  | 70.1 years | 61.5 years |
Healthy Life Expectancy Ratio (2023)  | 61.7 years | 52.8 years |
Poverty Ratio (2023)  | 19.9% of total Population | 55.5% of total Population |
Unemployment Rate (2023)  | 4.42% of total labor force | 27.99% of total labor force |
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a measure used to assess the overall well-being and quality of life of people living in a country. The key dimensions that give a country good HDI rank are a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and having a decent standard of living.
From the above given statistics, we can see that the HDI of Jamaica is [ 0.706 ] and the HDI of South Africa is [ 0.717 ].
The data shows that the people living in Jamaica has lower income, life expectancy and education level compared to South Africa.
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Gross National Expenditure (2023)  | 114.04 % of GDP | 100.06 % of GDP |
Total Health Expenditure (2023)  | 7.19 % of GDP | 8.27 % of GDP |
Research and Development Expenditure (2023)  | 0.06 % of GDP | 0.6 % of GDP |
Government Expenditure on Education (2023)  | 5.66 % of GDP | 6.6 % of GDP |
International Tourism Expenditure (2023)  | 291 million USD | 1,594 million USD |
Number of International Tourists Arrivals (2023)  | 1,329,700 | 3,886,600 |
Military Expenditure (2023)  | 1.31 % of GDP | 0.74 (% of GDP) |
The total Gross National Expenditure of Jamaica is 114.04% of its GDP and the total Gross National Expenditure of South Africa is 100.06% of its GDP.
From the above data, we can say that Jamaica spends 1.14 times more of its GDP on Gross National Expenditure compared to South Africa.
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Number of Doctors (2023)  | 5.5 (Per 10,000 People) | 8.09 (Per 10,000 People) |
Number of Nurses (2023)  | 9.8 (Per 10,000 People) | 10.38 (Per 10,000 People) |
Number of Pharmacists (2023)  | 0.16 (Per 10,000 People) | 2.71 (Per 10,000 People) |
Available Hospital Beds (2023)  | 1.72 (Per 1000 People) | 2.3 (Per 1000 People) |
Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care (2023)  | 97.7 % of total Population | 93.7 % of total Population |
Jamaica has 1.47 times less Doctors compared to South Africa (Per 10,000 People).
Jamaica has 1.06 times less Nurses compared to South Africa (Per 10,000 People).
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Agricultural Land (2023)  | 4,170 Sq Km | 963,410 Sq Km |
Forest Area (2023)  | 6,007.73 Sq Km | 170,136.9 Sq Km |
CO2 Emissions (2023)  | 0.23 kg per PPP $ of GDP | 0.51 kg per PPP $ of GDP |
Access to Electricity (2023)  | 100 % of total Population | 86.5 % of total Population |
Access to Internet (2023)  | 82.36 % of total Population | 72.31 % of total Population |
Annual Fresh Water Withdrawals (2023)  | 1.35 Billion cubic meters | 20.31 Billion cubic meters |
100% of the total Population of Jamaica has access to the electricity in their homes, whereas, in case of South Africa, 86.5% of the total Population has access to electricity.
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Time Required to Start a Business (2023)  | 3 Days | 40 Days |
New Businesses Registered (2023)  | 4,818 (New Businesses) | 434,024 (New Businesses) |
New Businesses Registration Density (2023)  | 2.34 (Per 1000 People) | 11.05 (Per 1000 People) |
Cost of Business Start-Up Procedures (2023)  | 4.2 % of GNI Per Capita | 0.2 % of GNI Per Capita |
In the year 2023, 4,818 new businesses got registered in Jamaica and 434,024 new businesses got registered in South Africa.
It usually takes 3 days in Jamaica and 40 days in South Africa to register a new business legally and systematically.
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Imports of Goods and Services (2023)  | 52.07 % of GDP | 32.7 % of GDP |
Total Fuel Imports (2023)  | 30.78 % of Merchandise Imports | 21.03 % of Merchandise Imports |
Cost to Import Border Compliance (2023)  | 906 USD | 676 USD |
Time to Import Border Compliance (2023)  | 80 Hours | 87 Hours |
Cost to Import Documentary Compliance (2023)  | 90 USD | 73 USD |
Time to Import Documentary Compliance (2023)  | 56 Hours | 36 Hours |
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Exports of Goods and Services (2023)  | 38.04 % of GDP | 33.02 % of GDP |
Total Fuel Exports (2023)  | 40.39 % of Merchandise Exports | 10.73 % of Merchandise Exports |
Cost to Export Border Compliance (2023)  | 876 USD | 1,257 USD |
Time to Export Border Compliance (2023)  | 57.71 Hours | 92 Hours |
Cost to Export Documentary Compliance (2023)  | 90 USD | 55 USD |
Time to Export Documentary Compliance (2023)  | 47 Hours | 68 Hours |
Indicators | Jamaica | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Gross National Savings (2023)  | 22.71 % of GDP | 13.63 % of GDP |
Tax Revenue (2023)  | 25.71 % of GDP | 26.11 % of GDP |
Taxes on Exports (2023)  | Yet to Update | 0.06 % of Tax Revenue |
Taxes on Goods and Services (2023)  | 45.81 % of Tax Revenue | 31.84 % of Tax Revenue |
Taxes on International Trade (2023)  | 8.83 % of Revenue | 3.73 % of Revenue |
Time to Prepare and Pay Taxes (2023)  | 268 Hours | 210 Hours |
Customs and Other Import Duties (2023)  | 8.99 % of Tax Revenue | 4.22 % of Tax Revenue |
The taxes charged by Jamaica on international trade is 8.83% of the total revenue and the taxes charged by South Africa on international trade is 3.73% of the total revenue.
The Taxes charged on International Trade by Jamaica is 2.37 times more of its total revenue than of South Africa.
We hope you enjoyed the detailed guide on the standard of living comparsion between Jamaica and South Africa.
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