Italy’s coastline is 2.7 times as long as South Africa’s

Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)

Italy’s highest peak towers 1,298 m above South Africa’s

Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 44% of Italy

Italy: 43.6% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)

South Africa has 10% more people than Italy

Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)

Italy is 3.7 times as densely populated as South Africa

Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Italy is 19 years older than in South Africa

Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)

Women in South Africa have 1.0 more children on average than in Italy

Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)

25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa

Italy: 25.1% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)

Italy hosts 3.8 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa

Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)

Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.5

Italy: 3.4 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)

South Africa has 11 official languages, Italy 1

Italy: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)

Italy’s economy is 6 times the size of South Africa’s

Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)

Italy produces 3.9 times as much per person as South Africa

Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Italy (Gini 19.8 points higher)

Italy: 34.3 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)

17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.9% in Italy

Italy: 0.9% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)

Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 6.4% in Italy

Italy: 6.4% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)

Italy spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%

Italy: 1.9% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)

South Africa and Italy are practically level

Italy: 25.6% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)

Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× South Africa’s

Italy: 69% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)

Italy spends 6.3 times as much on health per person as South Africa

Italy: $3,398 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)

A baby in South Africa is 11 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy

Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)

Italy has 5.3 times as many doctors per person as South Africa

Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)

Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: no data

The suicide rate in South Africa is 2.8 times that in Italy

Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)

31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 18% in Italy

Italy: 17.9% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)

24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 22% in Italy

Italy: 22.4% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)

People in Italy rate their lives 1.56 points higher than in South Africa

Italy: 6.57 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)

Adults in South Africa drink 2% more alcohol than in Italy

Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)

Italy has 22% more meat per person than South Africa

Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)

Italy has 1,059 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa

Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)

Workers in South Africa put in 480 more hours a year than in Italy

Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)

Adults in South Africa went to school 0.78 years longer than in Italy

Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)

Italy welcomed 7 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019)

Italy: 0.98 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)

Italy has 50 more World Heritage sites than South Africa (62 against 12)

Italy: 62 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)

Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, South Africa 95

Italy: 829 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)

89% of people in Italy are online, versus 78% in South Africa

Italy: 89% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)

Home internet in Italy is 3.5 times as fast as in South Africa

Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)

100% of people in Italy have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa

Italy: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)

70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa

Italy: 70% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)

South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Italy 133

Italy: 133 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)

South Africa’s railway network is 21% longer than Italy’s

Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)

Airlines from Italy fly 44% more passengers per resident than those from South Africa

Italy: 0.34 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)

Forest covers 32% of Italy, but only 19% of South Africa

Italy: 31.8% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)

The average person in South Africa emits 35% more CO₂ than someone in Italy

Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)

49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa

Italy: 48.8% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)

The air in South Africa carries 61% more fine dust than in Italy

Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 77 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Italy

Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)

Roads in South Africa are 3.9 times as deadly as in Italy

Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)

South Africa is on average 4.5 °C warmer than Italy

Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)

Italy gets 2 times as much rain as South Africa

Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)