Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa fits inside Brazil 7 times.
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Brazil’s coastline is 2.7 times as long as South Africa’s.
Brazil: 7,491 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 456 m above Brazil’s.
Brazil: 2,994 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Brazil has 3.3 times as many people as South Africa.
Brazil: 213 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 2.1 times as densely populated as Brazil.
Brazil: 25 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Brazil are 6.1 cm taller than in South Africa.
Brazil: 175.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Brazil are 3.8 cm taller than in South Africa.
Brazil: 162.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Brazil is 5.7 years older than in South Africa.
Brazil: 33.9 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.6 more children on average than in Brazil.
Brazil: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
11% of people in Brazil are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Brazil: 11.5% (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, Brazil 0.0.
Brazil: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Brazil 1.
Brazil: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Brazil’s economy is 5.3 times the size of South Africa’s.
Brazil: $2.28 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Brazil produces 47% more per person than South Africa.
Brazil: Int$23,433 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Brazil (Gini 3.8 points higher).
Brazil: 50.3 (2024) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 6.0% in Brazil.
Brazil: 6% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Brazil and South Africa are practically level.
Brazil: 1% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Brazil’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× South Africa’s.
Brazil: 46% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Brazil spends 88% more on health per person than South Africa.
Brazil: $1,010 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Brazil live 9.7 years longer than in South Africa.
Brazil: 76 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Brazil.
Brazil: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Brazil has 3 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Brazil: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
South Africa and Brazil are practically level.
Brazil: 30.9% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 12% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.9% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Brazil rate their lives 1.63 points higher than in South Africa.
Brazil: 6.63 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Brazil drink 20% more alcohol than in South Africa.
Brazil: 10.4 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brazil has 79% more meat per person than South Africa.
Brazil: 104.6 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Brazil has 730 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Brazil: 3,423 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 188 more hours a year than in Brazil.
Brazil: 1,994 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 3.2 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 8.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 4.4 times as many tourists per resident as Brazil (2019).
Brazil: 0.03 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Brazil are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Brazil: 84% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Brazil have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Brazil: 99.8% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Brazil live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Brazil: 88% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil 102.
Brazil: 102 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Brazil’s railway network is 42% longer than South Africa’s.
Brazil: 29,850 km (2014) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Brazil fly 88% more passengers per resident than those from South Africa.
Brazil: 0.45 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 59% of Brazil, but only 14% of South Africa.
Brazil: 59% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Brazil.
Brazil: 2.3 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Brazil’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Brazil: 86.6% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 59% more fine dust than in Brazil.
Brazil: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Brazil.
Brazil: 19.3 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 56% deadlier than in Brazil.
Brazil: 15.7 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brazil is on average 6.9 °C warmer than South Africa.
Brazil: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Brazil gets 3.2 times as much rain as South Africa.
Brazil: 1,661 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Brazil bigger than South Africa?
Brazil is larger. South Africa fits inside Brazil 7 times.
Which has more people, Brazil or South Africa?
Brazil has 3.3 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brazil or South Africa?
People in Brazil live 9.7 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years in Brazil and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Brazil or South Africa?
Men in Brazil are 6.1 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
