Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 7% bigger than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 1,100 m above South Africa’s.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 2.1 times as many people as South Africa.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 2.2 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
South Africa and Ethiopia are practically level.
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 1.4 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 9.5 years older than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 1.7 more children on average than in South Africa.
Ethiopia: 3.91 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 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (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, Ethiopia 0.1.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Ethiopia 1.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 3.4 times the size of Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 4.4 times as much per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Ethiopia (Gini 23 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Africa and Ethiopia are practically level.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 15 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 1.3 years longer than in South Africa.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 43% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 5.6 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 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 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 5.2% (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 1.02 points higher than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 8.4 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 136 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 582 more hours a year than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 9.2 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 34 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019).
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 28 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 2.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 15% of Ethiopia, but only 14% of South Africa.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 51 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 21% more fine dust than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 38% deadlier than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 5.5 °C warmer than South Africa.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 88% more rain than South Africa.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 7% bigger than Ethiopia.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia has 2.1 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or South Africa?
People in Ethiopia live 1.3 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or South Africa?
South Africa and Ethiopia are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
Ethiopia vs Djibouti 
Ethiopia vs Eritrea 
Ethiopia vs Kenya 
Ethiopia vs Somalia 
Ethiopia vs South Sudan 
Ethiopia vs Sudan 
South Africa vs Botswana 
South Africa vs Lesotho 
South Africa vs Mozambique 
South Africa vs Namibia 
South Africa vs Eswatini 
South Africa vs Zimbabwe 
Ethiopia vs the world → South Africa vs the world →