Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece fits inside South Africa 9.2 times.
Greece: 131,960 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Greece’s coastline is 4.9 times as long as South Africa’s.
Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 533 m above Greece’s.
Greece: 2,917 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 6.2 times as many people as Greece.
Greece: 10.4 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Greece is 51% more densely populated than South Africa.
Greece: 81 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 9.6 cm taller than in South Africa.
Greece: 179.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 7.2 cm taller than in South Africa.
Greece: 165.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Greece is 18 years older than in South Africa.
Greece: 45.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 1.0 more children on average than in Greece.
Greece: 1.24 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Greece are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Greece: 24.4% (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, Greece 1.0.
Greece: 1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Greece 1.
Greece: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 52% larger than Greece’s.
Greece: $281 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Greece produces 2.8 times as much per person as South Africa.
Greece: Int$45,264 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Greece (Gini 20.7 points higher).
Greece: 33.4 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 8.5% in Greece.
Greece: 8.5% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greece spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Greece: 3.1% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Greece’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× South Africa’s.
Greece: 60% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Greece spends 3.7 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Greece: $1,963 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Greece live 16 years longer than in South Africa.
Greece: 81.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 7.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Greece.
Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 8.3 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 31% in South Africa.
Greece: 33.7% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Greece smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Greece: 30.2% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Greece rate their lives 0.69 points higher than in South Africa.
Greece: 5.70 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
South Africa and Greece are nearly identical here.
Greece: 8.6 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greece has 41% more meat per person than South Africa.
Greece: 82 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greece has 688 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 288 more hours a year than in Greece.
Greece: 1,893 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
South Africa and Greece are practically level.
Greece: 11.6 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 19 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Greece: 2.67 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Greece are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Greece: 86% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Greece have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Greece: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Greece live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Greece: 79% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114.
Greece: 114 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 9 times as long as Greece’s.
Greece: 2,339 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Greece fly 7.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
Greece: 1.83 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Greece, but only 14% of South Africa.
Greece: 30.3% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 29% more CO₂ than someone in Greece.
Greece: 5.3 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Greece: 49.7% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 62% more fine dust than in Greece.
Greece: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 52 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Greece.
Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 3.4 times as deadly as in Greece.
Greece: 7.3 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 2.7 °C warmer than Greece.
Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Greece gets 56% more rain than South Africa.
Greece: 800 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Greece bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Greece fits inside South Africa 9.2 times.
Which has more people, Greece or South Africa?
South Africa has 6.2 times as many people as Greece (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greece or South Africa?
People in Greece live 16 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Greece and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Greece or South Africa?
Men in Greece are 9.6 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
