Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 22% bigger than Egypt.
Egypt: 1,001,450 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 14% longer than Egypt’s.
Egypt: 2,450 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 821 m above Egypt’s.
Egypt: 2,629 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Egypt has 83% more people than South Africa.
Egypt: 118 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Egypt is 2.2 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Egypt: 119 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Egypt are 4.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
Egypt: 174.6 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Egypt are 2.3 cm taller than in South Africa.
Egypt: 160.9 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 4.2 years older than in Egypt.
Egypt: 24 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Egypt have 0.5 more children on average than in South Africa.
Egypt: 2.74 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 5.3% in Egypt.
Egypt: 5.3% (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, Egypt 0.5.
Egypt: 0.5 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Egypt 1.
Egypt: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 17% larger than Egypt’s.
Egypt: $365 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Egypt produces 27% more per person than South Africa.
Egypt: Int$20,204 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Egypt (Gini 25.6 points higher).
Egypt: 28.5 (2021) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 6.8% in Egypt.
Egypt: 6.8% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Africa and Egypt are practically level.
Egypt: 0.7% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Egypt’s.
Egypt: 15% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as Egypt.
Egypt: $141 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Egypt live 5.5 years longer than in South Africa.
Egypt: 71.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 16% more likely to die before turning one than in Egypt.
Egypt: 20.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 18% more doctors per person than Egypt.
Egypt: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
43% of adults in Egypt are obese, versus 31% in South Africa.
Egypt: 42.8% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Egypt smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Egypt: 25% (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 1.15 points higher than in Egypt.
Egypt: 3.86 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 84 times as much alcohol as in Egypt.
Egypt: 0.1 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.1 times as much meat per person as Egypt.
Egypt: 27.6 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Egypt has 400 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Egypt: 3,094 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Egypt put in 187 more hours a year than in South Africa.
Egypt: 2,369 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 1.5 years longer than in Egypt.
Egypt: 10.1 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 35% more tourists per resident than Egypt (2019).
Egypt: 0.1 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 75% in Egypt.
Egypt: 75% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Egypt have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Egypt: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 43% in Egypt.
Egypt: 43% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Egypt 97.
Egypt: 97 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 4.1 times as long as Egypt’s.
Egypt: 5,153 km (2016) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 69% more passengers per resident than those from Egypt.
Egypt: 0.14 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 14% of South Africa, but only 0.0% of Egypt.
Egypt: 0% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 3.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Egypt.
Egypt: 2.2 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
14% of South Africa’s electricity is renewable, versus 13% in Egypt.
Egypt: 13% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Egypt carries 69% more fine dust than in South Africa.
Egypt: 41.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 33 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Egypt.
Egypt: 1.3 per 100k (2017) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2.6 times as deadly as in Egypt.
Egypt: 9.4 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Egypt is on average 5.1 °C warmer than South Africa.
Egypt: 23.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Africa gets 42 times as much rain as Egypt.
Egypt: 12 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Egypt bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 22% bigger than Egypt.
Which has more people, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt has 83% more people than South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Egypt or South Africa?
People in Egypt live 5.5 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 71.8 years in Egypt and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Egypt or South Africa?
Men in Egypt are 4.9 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
