How different would life be in America?
So, you’re thinking a Green Card and the 'American Dream' is for you?
It’s possible South Africa has some positives you should take into consideration before you follow those overseas dreams.
Enter www.ifitweremyhome.com, a nifty little website where you can compare living standards of America with other countries of the world.
The comparison between our Rainbow Nation and The Land of the Free gives an indication of key areas where the two nations differ.
In South Africa you are 30.2 times more likely to die of HIV/Aids opposed to the average American citizen.
You are also 7.1 times more likely to die during infancy, and likely to die 29.4 years sooner than your American counterpart.
You’re 44.44 times more likely to experience a class divide here. On top of that, you are also likely to earn 78.23 times less than someone in America.
While all this sounds pretty bleak, you are surprisingly only 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed here than in America – so finding a job there is just as hard.
And, there are a few more pros to South Africa that might hook you into staying.
South Africans are likely to consume 81.11 times less oil than Americans; they’re likely to spend 89.36 less on healthcare than an American; and they use 64.92 times less electricity (although it is unclear if this is measured by taking the millions of South Africans who do not have access to electricity into account).
However, it seems sex is the common bond between South African and America, because both nations are 41.79 times more likely to have the same amount of babies, set at just more than two.
Comparing South Africa’s neighbouring nations to America is also interesting.
If you were from Mozambique you’d live 36.87 years less than in America, while the average baby in Botswana is 92.2 times more likely to die during infancy than an American baby.
In Zimbabwe, 10.2 times more people are unemployed against American folk, while the average Namibian is 57.11 times more likely to experience a class divide. In Lesotho you’d be 96.34 times more likely to earn less money than in America, while a Swaziland resident will live 30.27 years less than an American.
Perhaps taking this into consideration, South Africa is a tad more idyllic than you thought?
