France’s coastline is 73% longer than South Africa’s

France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)

France’s highest peak towers 1,360 m above South Africa’s

France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 53% of France

France: 52.8% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)

France has 6% more people than South Africa

France: 68.7 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)

France is 2.4 times as densely populated as South Africa

France: 128 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)

The typical person in France is 14 years older than in South Africa

France: 41.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)

Women in South Africa have 0.6 more children on average than in France

France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)

23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa

France: 22.5% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)

France hosts 13 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa

France: 11.5 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)

France has produced 9.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.5

France: 9.5 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)

South Africa has 11 official languages, France 1

France: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)

France’s economy is 7.9 times the size of South Africa’s

France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)

France produces 4 times as much per person as South Africa

France: Int$63,975 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in France (Gini 22.3 points higher)

France: 31.8 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)

17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in France

France: 0.1% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)

Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 7.5% in France

France: 7.5% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)

France spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%

France: 2% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)

South Africa’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, France’s 23%

France: 22.8% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)

France’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× South Africa’s

France: 77% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)

France spends 9.9 times as much on health per person as South Africa

France: $5,327 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)

A baby in South Africa is 7.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in France

France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)

France has 4.1 times as many doctors per person as South Africa

France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)

France: 5.7 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: no data

The suicide rate in South Africa is 17% higher than in France

France: 13.9 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)

31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 13% in France

France: 12.5% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)

34% of adults in France smoke, versus 24% in South Africa

France: 33.6% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)

People in France rate their lives 1.58 points higher than in South Africa

France: 6.59 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)

Adults in France drink 30% more alcohol than in South Africa

France: 11.2 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)

France has 38% more meat per person than South Africa

France: 80.3 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)

France has 796 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa

France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)

Workers in South Africa put in 694 more hours a year than in France

France: 1,487 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)

Adults in France went to school 0.16 years longer than in South Africa

France: 11.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)

France welcomed 9.7 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019)

France: 1.35 (2019) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)

France has 44 more World Heritage sites than South Africa (56 against 12)

France: 56 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)

France has won 985 Olympic medals, South Africa 95

France: 985 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)

89% of people in France are online, versus 78% in South Africa

France: 89% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)

Home internet in France is 5.9 times as fast as in South Africa

France: 460 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)

100% of people in France have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa

France: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)

79% of people in France live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa

France: 79% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)

South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117

France: 117 (2023) · South Africa: 179 (2024)

France’s railway network is 32% longer than South Africa’s

France: 27,716 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)

Airlines from France fly 3.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa

France: 0.94 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)

Forest covers 33% of France, but only 19% of South Africa

France: 32.9% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)

The average person in South Africa emits 73% more CO₂ than someone in France

France: 4 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)

26% of France’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa

France: 26.1% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)

The air in South Africa carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in France

France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 32 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in France

France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)

Roads in South Africa are 4.4 times as deadly as in France

France: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)

South Africa is on average 4.3 °C warmer than France

France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)

France gets 2.3 times as much rain as South Africa

France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)