Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iran is 43% bigger than South Africa
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 15% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 2,175 m above South Africa’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 43% more people than South Africa
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 7% more densely populated than South Africa
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 6.0 cm taller than in South Africa
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 2.6 cm taller than in South Africa
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 4.7 years older than in South Africa
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.5 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 9.8 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 18% larger than Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 24% more per person than South Africa
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Iran (Gini 18.2 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.5% in Iran
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 8.3% in Iran
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 2 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 12 years longer than in South Africa
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as South Africa
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Africa is 2.7 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.14 points higher than in South Africa
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 418 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 95% more meat per person than Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 181 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 65 more hours a year than in South Africa
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 0.76 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 18 more World Heritage sites than South Africa (30 against 12)
Iran: 30 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 78% in South Africa
Iran: 85% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa
Iran: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa
Iran: 77% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iran 174
Iran: 174 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 22% more passengers per resident than those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of South Africa, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 26% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
14% of South Africa’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 55% more fine dust than in South Africa
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 18 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Iran
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 15% deadlier than in Iran
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 0.9 °C warmer than South Africa
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Africa gets 88% more rain than Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than South Africa?
Iran is larger. Iran is 43% bigger than South Africa.
Which has more people, Iran or South Africa?
Iran has 43% more people than South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or South Africa?
People in Iran live 12 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Iran or South Africa?
Men in Iran are 6.0 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
