Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa fits inside India 2.7 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 2.5 times as long as South Africa’s.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 5,136 m above South Africa’s.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 23 times as many people as South Africa.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 9.2 times as densely populated as South Africa.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 3.1 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 3.4 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 0.15 years older than in India.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.2 more children on average than in India.
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
India and South Africa are practically level.
India: 7.4% (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, India 0.1.
India: 0.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, India 3.
India: 3 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 9.3 times the size of South Africa’s.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 35% more per person than India.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in India (Gini 28.6 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 4.2% in India.
India: 4.2% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
India: 2.3% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× India’s.
India: 23% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 6.3 times as much on health per person as India.
India: $85 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in India live 5.9 years longer than in South Africa.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 4% more likely to die before turning one than in India.
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 10% more doctors per person than India.
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 8.0% in India.
India: 8% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 23% in India.
India: 22.6% (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 0.47 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 65% more alcohol than in India.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 7.2 times as much meat per person as India.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 25 kcal more food per person per day than India.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 201 more hours a year than in South Africa.
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 4.7 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 21 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
India: 0.01 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 70% in India.
India: 70% (2025) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in India have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
India: 99.9% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
India: 79 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 3.3 times as long as South Africa’s.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 94% more passengers per resident than those from India.
India: 0.12 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of India, but only 14% of South Africa.
India: 24.5% (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 India.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of India’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
India: 24.1% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 81% more fine dust than in South Africa.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in India.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 68% deadlier than in India.
India: 14.6 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 6.0 °C warmer than South Africa.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 2.5 times as much rain as South Africa.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than South Africa?
India is larger. South Africa fits inside India 2.7 times.
Which has more people, India or South Africa?
India has 23 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or South Africa?
People in India live 5.9 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in India or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 3.1 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
