Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh fits inside South Africa 8.3 times.
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 4.8 times as long as Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 2,390 m above Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bangladesh has 2.7 times as many people as South Africa.
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 25 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Bangladesh: 1,352 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 4.5 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 6.2 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 2.9 years older than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.1 more children on average than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.14 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
South Africa and Bangladesh are practically level.
Bangladesh: 6.7% (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, Bangladesh 0.1.
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Bangladesh 1.
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Bangladesh’s economy is 7% larger than South Africa’s.
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 57% more per person than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Bangladesh (Gini 23.2 points higher).
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.8% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Bangladesh and South Africa are practically level.
Bangladesh: 0.9% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 10 times as much on health per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Bangladesh live 8.6 years longer than in South Africa.
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Bangladesh and South Africa are nearly identical here.
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 10% more doctors per person than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.7 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 5.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 0.69 points higher than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 2,965 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 13 times as much meat per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 106 kcal more food per person per day than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 202 more hours a year than in South Africa.
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 4.8 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 71 times as many tourists per resident as Bangladesh (2019).
Bangladesh: 0 (2019) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 53% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Bangladesh have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bangladesh 108.
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 7.3 times as long as Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 6.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 14% of Bangladesh, but only 14% of South Africa.
Bangladesh: 14.5% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 11 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
14% of South Africa’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in South Africa.
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 32% deadlier than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 18.6 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bangladesh is on average 7.3 °C warmer than South Africa.
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bangladesh gets 4.1 times as much rain as South Africa.
Bangladesh: 2,096 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bangladesh bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Bangladesh fits inside South Africa 8.3 times.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or South Africa?
Bangladesh has 2.7 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or South Africa?
People in Bangladesh live 8.6 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 4.5 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
