Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Indonesia is 57% bigger than South Africa.
Indonesia: 1,916,910 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Indonesia’s coastline is 20 times as long as South Africa’s.
Indonesia: 54,716 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Indonesia’s highest peak towers 1,434 m above South Africa’s.
Indonesia: 4,884 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Indonesia has 4.4 times as many people as South Africa.
Indonesia: 286 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Indonesia is 2.8 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Indonesia: 151 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 3.4 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 166.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 4.2 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 154.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Indonesia is 1.6 years older than in South Africa.
Indonesia: 29.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.1 more children on average than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 2.12 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.5% of people in Indonesia are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Indonesia: 7.5% (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, Indonesia 0.0.
Indonesia: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Indonesia 1.
Indonesia: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Indonesia’s economy is 3.4 times the size of South Africa’s.
Indonesia: $1.45 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Indonesia produces 11% more per person than South Africa.
Indonesia: Int$17,660 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Indonesia (Gini 19.7 points higher).
Indonesia: 34.4 (2025) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.2% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 3.2% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Indonesia and South Africa are practically level.
Indonesia: 0.8% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 29% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 4.1 times as much on health per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: $132 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Indonesia live 5 years longer than in South Africa.
Indonesia: 71.3 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 59% more likely to die before turning one than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 15.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 52% more doctors per person than Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.5 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 12% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 12% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
31% of adults in Indonesia smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Indonesia: 31% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Indonesia rate their lives 0.61 points higher than in South Africa.
Indonesia: 5.62 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 85 times as much alcohol as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.1 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.9 times as much meat per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 20 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Indonesia has 206 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Indonesia: 2,900 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 223 more hours a year than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 1,958 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 2.9 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 8.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Indonesia (2019).
Indonesia: 0.05 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 73% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 73% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Indonesia have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Indonesia: 99.9% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 59% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 59% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Indonesia 123.
Indonesia: 123 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 3.8 times as long as Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 5,483 km (2019) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Indonesia fly 42% more passengers per resident than those from South Africa.
Indonesia: 0.34 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 48% of Indonesia, but only 14% of South Africa.
Indonesia: 47.7% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 2.9 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
18% of Indonesia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Indonesia: 18.1% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 32% more fine dust than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 18.5 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 144 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.3 per 100k (2022) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2.2 times as deadly as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 11.3 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Indonesia is on average 7.2 °C warmer than South Africa.
Indonesia: 25.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Indonesia gets 6.7 times as much rain as South Africa.
Indonesia: 3,437 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Indonesia bigger than South Africa?
Indonesia is larger. Indonesia is 57% bigger than South Africa.
Which has more people, Indonesia or South Africa?
Indonesia has 4.4 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Indonesia or South Africa?
People in Indonesia live 5 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 71.3 years in Indonesia and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Indonesia or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 3.4 cm taller than in Indonesia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
