Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa fits inside Algeria 2 times
Algeria: 2,381,740 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 2.8 times as long as Algeria’s
Algeria: 998 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 542 m above Algeria’s
Algeria: 2,908 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 17% of Algeria
Algeria: 17.3% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 36% more people than Algeria
Algeria: 47.4 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 2.7 times as densely populated as Algeria
Algeria: 20 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Algeria are 5.4 cm taller than in South Africa
Algeria: 175 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Algeria are 3.8 cm taller than in South Africa
Algeria: 162.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
South Africa and Algeria are practically level
Algeria: 28.2 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Algeria have 0.5 more children on average than in South Africa
Algeria: 2.72 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
South Africa and Algeria are practically level
Algeria: 6.8% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Algeria hosts 4.5 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa
Algeria: 3.8 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Algeria 0.4
Algeria: 0.4 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Algeria 1
Algeria: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 49% larger than Algeria’s
Algeria: $287 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Algeria produces 17% more per person than South Africa
Algeria: Int$18,586 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Algeria: no data · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Algeria: no data · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 12% in Algeria
Algeria: 11.6% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Algeria spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%
Algeria: 8.8% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Algeria: no data · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Algeria’s
Algeria: 33% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Algeria
Algeria: $233 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Algeria live 10 years longer than in South Africa
Algeria: 76.5 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 24% more likely to die before turning one than in Algeria
Algeria: 19.5 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Algeria has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as South Africa
Algeria: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Algeria: 1.6 per 1,000 (2017) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Africa is 5.1 times that in Algeria
Algeria: 3.2 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 24% in Algeria
Algeria: 24.3% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 22% in Algeria
Algeria: 22.4% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Algeria rate their lives 0.71 points higher than in South Africa
Algeria: 5.71 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 20 times as much alcohol as in Algeria
Algeria: 0.4 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.6 times as much meat per person as Algeria
Algeria: 22.3 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Algeria has 702 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa
Algeria: 3,396 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Algeria put in 51 more hours a year than in South Africa
Algeria: 2,232 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 4.2 years longer than in Algeria
Algeria: 7.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Algeria: no data · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Africa has 5 more World Heritage sites than Algeria (12 against 7)
Algeria: 7 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, Algeria 20
Algeria: 20 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 77% in Algeria
Algeria: 77% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Algeria is 2.1 times as fast as in South Africa
Algeria: 165 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Algeria have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa
Algeria: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
76% of people in Algeria live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa
Algeria: 76% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Algeria 115
Algeria: 115 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 5.2 times as long as Algeria’s
Algeria: 4,001 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 58% more passengers per resident than those from Algeria
Algeria: 0.15 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of South Africa, but only 0.7% of Algeria
Algeria: 0.7% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 62% more CO₂ than someone in Algeria
Algeria: 4.2 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
14% of South Africa’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.1% in Algeria
Algeria: 1.1% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 69% more fine dust than in Algeria
Algeria: 14.4 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 38 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Algeria
Algeria: 1.2 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 48% deadlier than in Algeria
Algeria: 22.3 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Algeria is on average 6.2 °C warmer than South Africa
Algeria: 24.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Africa gets 8.8 times as much rain as Algeria
Algeria: 58 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Algeria bigger than South Africa?
Algeria is larger. South Africa fits inside Algeria 2 times.
Which has more people, Algeria or South Africa?
South Africa has 36% more people than Algeria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Algeria or South Africa?
People in Algeria live 10 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Algeria and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Algeria or South Africa?
Men in Algeria are 5.4 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
