Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Angola is 2% bigger than South Africa.
Angola: 1,246,700 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 75% longer than Angola’s.
Angola: 1,600 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 830 m above Angola’s.
Angola: 2,620 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 66% more people than Angola.
Angola: 39 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 70% more densely populated than Angola.
Angola: 31 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 1.2 cm taller than in Angola.
Angola: 168.5 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
South Africa and Angola are practically level.
Angola: 158.1 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 12 years older than in Angola.
Angola: 16.5 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Angola have 2.8 more children on average than in South Africa.
Angola: 5.05 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 2.9% in Angola.
Angola: 2.9% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Angola 0.0.
Angola: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Angola 1.
Angola: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Angola’s.
Angola: $122 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 55% more per person than Angola.
Angola: Int$10,251 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Angola (Gini 2.8 points higher).
Angola: 51.3 (2018) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 14% in Angola.
Angola: 14.1% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Angola and South Africa are practically level.
Angola: 1% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Angola’s.
Angola: 31% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 7.1 times as much on health per person as Angola.
Angola: $76 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Africa live 1.5 years longer than in Angola.
Angola: 64.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Angola is 33% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
Angola: 32.1 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as Angola.
Angola: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 12% in Angola.
Angola: 11.8% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Angola: no data · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 1.21 points higher than in Angola.
Angola: 3.80 (2017) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 2.3 times as much alcohol as in Angola.
Angola: 3.8 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 3.1 times as much meat per person as Angola.
Angola: 18.6 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 295 kcal more food per person per day than Angola.
Angola: 2,399 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 67 more hours a year than in Angola.
Angola: 2,115 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 5.7 years longer than in Angola.
Angola: 6 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 38 times as many tourists per resident as Angola (2019).
Angola: 0 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 41% in Angola.
Angola: 41% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 56% in Angola.
Angola: 55.5% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
71% of people in Angola live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Angola: 71% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Angola 70.
Angola: 70 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 7.6 times as long as Angola’s.
Angola: 2,761 km (2022) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 7.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Angola.
Angola: 0.03 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 52% of Angola, but only 14% of South Africa.
Angola: 52.1% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 12 times as much CO₂ as someone in Angola.
Angola: 0.6 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
74% of Angola’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Angola: 73.7% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Angola carries 7% more fine dust than in South Africa.
Angola: 26.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Angola.
Angola: 4.1 per 100k (2016) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 63% deadlier than in Angola.
Angola: 15 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Angola is on average 4.3 °C warmer than South Africa.
Angola: 22.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Angola gets 2.2 times as much rain as South Africa.
Angola: 1,105 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Angola bigger than South Africa?
Angola is larger. Angola is 2% bigger than South Africa.
Which has more people, Angola or South Africa?
South Africa has 66% more people than Angola (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Angola or South Africa?
People in South Africa live 1.5 years longer than in Angola. Life expectancy at birth is 64.8 years in Angola and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Angola or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 1.2 cm taller than in Angola (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
