Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside South Africa 17 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 93% longer than Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 2,409 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 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 12 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ireland is 49% more densely populated than South Africa.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 9.4 cm taller than in South Africa.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 5.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 10 years older than in South Africa.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.7 more children on average than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.4.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Ireland 2.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 69% larger than South Africa’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 9.8 times as much per person as South Africa.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Ireland (Gini 25.1 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 4.6% in Ireland.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Africa and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 2× South Africa’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 14 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 17 years longer than in South Africa.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 7.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 4.9 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Ireland: 3.9 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 31% in Ireland.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 18% in Ireland.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 1.92 points higher than in South Africa.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 19% more alcohol than in South Africa.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 69% more meat per person than South Africa.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 1,227 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 527 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 0.12 years longer than in South Africa.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 16 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Ireland have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 13 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 147 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 14% of South Africa, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 8% more CO₂ than someone in Ireland.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 67 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 8.8 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 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 8.1 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 2.2 times as much rain as South Africa.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Ireland fits inside South Africa 17 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or South Africa?
South Africa has 12 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or South Africa?
People in Ireland live 17 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Ireland or South Africa?
Men in Ireland are 9.4 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
