South Africa’s coastline is 42 times as long as Belgium’s

Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)

South Africa’s highest peak towers 2,756 m above Belgium’s

Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 44% of Belgium

Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)

South Africa has 5.4 times as many people as Belgium

Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)

Belgium is 7.3 times as densely populated as South Africa

Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Belgium is 13 years older than in South Africa

Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)

Women in South Africa have 0.8 more children on average than in Belgium

Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)

21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa

Belgium: 21% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)

Belgium hosts 18 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa

Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)

Belgium has produced 8.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.5

Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)

South Africa has 11 official languages, Belgium 3

Belgium: 3 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)

Belgium’s economy is 70% larger than South Africa’s

Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)

Belgium produces 4.7 times as much per person as South Africa

Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Belgium (Gini 27.3 points higher)

Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)

17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Belgium

Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)

Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 5.9% in Belgium

Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)

Belgium spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%

Belgium: 2% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)

South Africa’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Belgium’s 23%

Belgium: 23% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)

Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 2× South Africa’s

Belgium: 81% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)

Belgium spends 11 times as much on health per person as South Africa

Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)

A baby in South Africa is 7.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Belgium

Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)

Belgium has 4.5 times as many doctors per person as South Africa

Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)

Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: no data

The suicide rate in South Africa is 7% higher than in Belgium

Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)

31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 23% in Belgium

Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)

South Africa and Belgium are practically level

Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)

People in Belgium rate their lives 1.92 points higher than in South Africa

Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)

Adults in Belgium drink 10% more alcohol than in South Africa

Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)

Belgium has 3% more meat per person than South Africa

Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)

Belgium has 1,227 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa

Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)

Workers in South Africa put in 588 more hours a year than in Belgium

Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)

Adults in Belgium went to school 1.1 years longer than in South Africa

Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)

Belgium welcomed 5.8 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019)

Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)

Belgium has 4 more World Heritage sites than South Africa (16 against 12)

Belgium: 16 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)

Belgium has won 177 Olympic medals, South Africa 95

Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)

96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 78% in South Africa

Belgium: 96% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)

Home internet in Belgium is 3.2 times as fast as in South Africa

Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)

100% of people in Belgium have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa

Belgium: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)

88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa

Belgium: 88% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)

South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104

Belgium: 104 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)

South Africa’s railway network is 5.8 times as long as Belgium’s

Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)

Airlines from Belgium fly 4 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa

Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)

Forest covers 22% of Belgium, but only 19% of South Africa

Belgium: 22% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)

The average person in Belgium emits 6% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa

Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)

39% of Belgium’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa

Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)

The air in South Africa carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Belgium

Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 40 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Belgium

Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)

Roads in South Africa are 4.9 times as deadly as in Belgium

Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)

South Africa is on average 7.4 °C warmer than Belgium

Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)

Belgium gets 81% more rain than South Africa

Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)