Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 7% bigger than Colombia.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 15% longer than South Africa’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 2,280 m above South Africa’s.
Colombia: 5,730 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 21% more people than Colombia.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 11% more densely populated than Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 2.2 cm taller than in South Africa.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
South Africa and Colombia are practically level.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Colombia is 3.4 years older than in South Africa.
Colombia: 31.6 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 Colombia.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Colombia: 10.2% (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, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Colombia 1.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 7% larger than South Africa’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 42% more per person than South Africa.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in South Africa (Gini 0.3 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 8.3% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 20% more on health per person than South Africa.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Colombia live 12 years longer than in South Africa.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 3.2 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Colombia: 2.5 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 25% in Colombia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Colombia rate their lives 1.03 points higher than in South Africa.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 77% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 7% more meat per person than South Africa.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 432 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 289 more hours a year than in South Africa.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 2.6 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 60% more tourists per resident than Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
79% of people in Colombia are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
99% of people in Colombia have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Colombia 174.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 3.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 14% of South Africa.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 62% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 75% more likely to be murdered in South Africa than in Colombia.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 51% deadlier than in Colombia.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 6.0 °C warmer than South Africa.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 6.2 times as much rain as South Africa.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 7% bigger than Colombia.
Which has more people, Colombia or South Africa?
South Africa has 21% more people than Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or South Africa?
People in Colombia live 12 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Colombia or South Africa?
Men in Colombia are 2.2 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
