Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Austria fits inside South Africa 15 times.
Austria: 83,879 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Austria: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Austria’s highest peak towers 348 m above South Africa’s.
Austria: 3,798 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 7 times as many people as Austria.
Austria: 9.21 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Austria is 2.1 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Austria: 112 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Austria are 8.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
Austria: 178.5 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Austria are 8.3 cm taller than in South Africa.
Austria: 166.9 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Austria is 15 years older than in South Africa.
Austria: 43.1 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.9 more children on average than in Austria.
Austria: 1.31 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Austria are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Austria: 21.1% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Austria has produced 20.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.4.
Austria: 20.6 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Austria 1.
Austria: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Austria’s economy is 36% larger than South Africa’s.
Austria: $579 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Austria produces 4.8 times as much per person as South Africa.
Austria: Int$76,778 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Austria (Gini 22.9 points higher).
Austria: 31.2 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 5.6% in Austria.
Austria: 5.6% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Austria and South Africa are practically level.
Austria: 1% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Austria’s price level (US = 100) is 2× South Africa’s.
Austria: 82% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Austria spends 13 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Austria: $6,739 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Austria live 16 years longer than in South Africa.
Austria: 82 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 8.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Austria.
Austria: 2.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Austria has 6.9 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Austria: 5.5 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 18% in Austria.
Austria: 18.3% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Austria and South Africa are practically level.
Austria: 23.8% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Austria rate their lives 1.84 points higher than in South Africa.
Austria: 6.85 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Austria drink 34% more alcohol than in South Africa.
Austria: 11.6 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Austria has 26% more meat per person than South Africa.
Austria: 73.7 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Austria has 1,062 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Austria: 3,756 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 743 more hours a year than in Austria.
Austria: 1,438 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Austria went to school 0.75 years longer than in South Africa.
Austria: 12.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Austria welcomed 21 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Austria: 2.9 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in Austria are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Austria: 92% (2025) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Austria have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Austria: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Austria live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Austria: 70% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Austria 124.
Austria: 124 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 4.2 times as long as Austria’s.
Austria: 4,962 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Austria fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
Austria: 5 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Austria, but only 14% of South Africa.
Austria: 47.2% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 11% more CO₂ than someone in Austria.
Austria: 6.2 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
84% of Austria’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Austria: 83.6% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Austria.
Austria: 10.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 50 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Austria.
Austria: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 5.3 times as deadly as in Austria.
Austria: 4.6 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Africa is on average 10.6 °C warmer than Austria.
Austria: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Austria gets 2.5 times as much rain as South Africa.
Austria: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Austria bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Austria fits inside South Africa 15 times.
Which has more people, Austria or South Africa?
South Africa has 7 times as many people as Austria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Austria or South Africa?
People in Austria live 16 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in Austria and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Austria or South Africa?
Men in Austria are 8.9 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
Austria vs Czechia 
Austria vs Germany 
Austria vs Hungary 
Austria vs Italy 
Austria vs Liechtenstein 
Austria vs Slovakia 
South Africa vs Botswana 
South Africa vs Lesotho 
South Africa vs Mozambique 
South Africa vs Namibia 
South Africa vs Eswatini 
South Africa vs Zimbabwe 
Austria vs the world → South Africa vs the world →