South Africa vs United States of America: Deaths rates from disasters vs. GDP per capita
South Africa
0.029 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2026
United States of America
0.0361 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2026
South Africa rank
91st
United States of America rank
88th
Deaths rates from disasters vs. GDP per capita over time
- South Africa
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 0.0361 deaths per 100,000 people against 0.029 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa, a difference of 0.0071 deaths per 100,000 people.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 19 times across 52 shared years of data; in 1952 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 91st and United States of America ranks 88th of 196 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 4 and United States of America in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.2879 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1202 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1677 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.0139 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.234 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.2201 deaths per 100,000 people | United States of America |
| 1970s | 0.0707 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1295 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0588 deaths per 100,000 people | United States of America |
| 1980s | 0.2829 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0878 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1951 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.0952 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0874 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0078 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.0618 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1258 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.064 deaths per 100,000 people | United States of America |
| 2010s | 0.0501 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0887 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0386 deaths per 100,000 people | United States of America |
| 2020s | 0.2139 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1199 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.094 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher deaths rates from disasters vs. gdp per capita, South Africa or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 0.0361 deaths per 100,000 people against 0.029 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa as of 2026.
- What is the difference in deaths rates from disasters vs. gdp per capita between South Africa and United States of America?
- 0.0071 deaths per 100,000 people, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States of America?
- 52 years are reported by both, from 1952 to 2026.
- How do South Africa and United States of America rank globally for deaths rates from disasters vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 91st and United States of America ranks 88th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Deaths rates from disasters vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Death rate per 100,000 people as a result of a natural disaster.