Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Czechia fits inside South Africa 15 times.
Czechia: 78,871 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Czechia: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,848 m above Czechia’s.
Czechia: 1,602 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 5.9 times as many people as Czechia.
Czechia: 10.9 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Czechia is 2.6 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Czechia: 141 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Czechia are 11.6 cm taller than in South Africa.
Czechia: 181.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Czechia are 9.4 cm taller than in South Africa.
Czechia: 168 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Czechia is 15 years older than in South Africa.
Czechia: 42.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.8 more children on average than in Czechia.
Czechia: 1.36 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Czechia are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Czechia: 21.2% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Czechia has produced 5.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.4.
Czechia: 5.5 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Czechia 2.
Czechia: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 9% larger than Czechia’s.
Czechia: $391 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Czechia produces 3.8 times as much per person as South Africa.
Czechia: Int$60,487 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Czechia (Gini 28.4 points higher).
Czechia: 25.7 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 2.8% in Czechia.
Czechia: 2.8% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Czechia spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Czechia: 1.9% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Czechia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× South Africa’s.
Czechia: 59% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Czechia spends 5 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Czechia: $2,693 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Czechia live 14 years longer than in South Africa.
Czechia: 80 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 12 times as likely to die before turning one as in Czechia.
Czechia: 2.1 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Czechia has 5.5 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Czechia: 4.4 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
Czechia and South Africa are practically level.
Czechia: 31.6% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Czechia smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Czechia: 28.4% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Czechia rate their lives 1.81 points higher than in South Africa.
Czechia: 6.82 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Czechia drink 57% more alcohol than in South Africa.
Czechia: 13.5 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Czechia has 41% more meat per person than South Africa.
Czechia: 82.3 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Czechia has 690 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Czechia: 3,384 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 407 more hours a year than in Czechia.
Czechia: 1,774 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Czechia went to school 1.4 years longer than in South Africa.
Czechia: 13 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Czechia welcomed 9.9 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Czechia: 1.37 (2019) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Czechia are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Czechia: 88% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Czechia have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Czechia: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
73% of people in Czechia live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Czechia: 73% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Czechia 127.
Czechia: 127 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Czechia’s.
Czechia: 9,357 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 19% more passengers per resident than those from Czechia.
Czechia: 0.2 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 35% of Czechia, but only 14% of South Africa.
Czechia: 34.8% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Czechia emits 3% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa.
Czechia: 7 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
17% of Czechia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Czechia: 16.8% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Czechia.
Czechia: 12.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 57 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Czechia.
Czechia: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 4.7 times as deadly as in Czechia.
Czechia: 5.2 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 9.0 °C warmer than Czechia.
Czechia: 9.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Czechia gets 58% more rain than South Africa.
Czechia: 805 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Czechia bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Czechia fits inside South Africa 15 times.
Which has more people, Czechia or South Africa?
South Africa has 5.9 times as many people as Czechia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Czechia or South Africa?
People in Czechia live 14 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 80.0 years in Czechia and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Czechia or South Africa?
Men in Czechia are 11.6 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
