CountryDuel

Land

Size, shape and altitude

How big is it, really?

Ivory Coast fits inside South Africa 3.8 times.

Ivory Coast: 322,460 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)

Drag it across the map

How much coast is there?

South Africa’s coastline is 5.4 times as long as Ivory Coast’s.

Ivory Coast: 515 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)

How high can you climb?

South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,698 m above Ivory Coast’s.

Ivory Coast: 1,752 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)

How far apart are they?

People

Who lives there, and how closely

How many people live there?

South Africa has 2 times as many people as Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 32.7 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)

How crowded is it?

Ivory Coast is 93% more densely populated than South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 103 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)

How tall are the men?

Men in South Africa are 1.4 cm taller than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 168.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)

How tall are the women?

Ivory Coast and South Africa are practically level.

Ivory Coast: 158.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)

How old is the typical person?

The typical person in South Africa is 10 years older than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 18.1 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)

How many children per woman?

Women in Ivory Coast have 2.0 more children on average than in South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 4.23 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)

How many people are 65 or older?

6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 2.7% in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 2.7% (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, Ivory Coast 0.0.

Ivory Coast: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)

How many official languages?

South Africa has 11 official languages, Ivory Coast 1.

Ivory Coast: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)

What shape is the population?

Money

What an economy looks like per person

How big is the economy?

South Africa’s economy is 4.3 times the size of Ivory Coast’s.

Ivory Coast: $99.8 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)

How much is produced per person?

South Africa produces 94% more per person than Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: Int$8,209 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)

How evenly is income shared?

Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Ivory Coast (Gini 18.8 points higher).

Ivory Coast: 35.3 (2021) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)

How many people are looking for work?

Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 2.3% in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 2.3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)

How much goes to the military?

Ivory Coast and South Africa are practically level.

Ivory Coast: 0.8% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)

How expensive is it?

South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Ivory Coast’s.

Ivory Coast: 37% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)

Health

Long lives, small beginnings

How much is spent on health?

South Africa spends 6.1 times as much on health per person as Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: $88 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)

How long do people live?

People in South Africa live 4.2 years longer than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 62.1 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)

How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?

A baby in Ivory Coast is 85% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 44.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)

How many doctors are there?

South Africa has 4.8 times as many doctors per person as Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 0.2 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 Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 12% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)

How many adults smoke?

24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 7.3% in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 7.3% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)

Everyday life

Plates, glasses and happiness

How do people rate their lives?

People in Ivory Coast rate their lives 0.14 points higher than in South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 5.15 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)

How much do people drink?

Adults in South Africa drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 4.2 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)

How much meat is on the menu?

South Africa has 4.8 times as much meat per person as Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 12 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)

How much food is there per day?

Ivory Coast has 244 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 2,938 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)

How long do people work?

Workers in South Africa put in 78 more hours a year than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 2,103 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)

How long do people go to school?

Adults in South Africa went to school 6.7 years longer than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 4.9 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)

How many tourists visit?

Ivory Coast: no data · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)

Connected

Online, electrified, urban

How many people are online?

78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 41% in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 41% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)

Who has electricity at home?

90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 73% in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 72.9% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)

How many live in cities?

64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 55% in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 55% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)

How many phones per person?

Ivory Coast has 184 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Africa 179.

Ivory Coast: 184 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)

How much railway is there?

South Africa’s railway network is 33 times as long as Ivory Coast’s.

Ivory Coast: 639 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)

How much do they fly?

Airlines from South Africa fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 0.02 (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 7.9% of Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 7.9% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)

How much CO₂ does each person emit?

The average person in South Africa emits 15 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 0.5 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)

How green is the power grid?

29% of Ivory Coast’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 28.9% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)

How clean is the air?

The air in South Africa carries 21% more fine dust than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)

Where does the power come from?

Safety

Measured risk, not vibes

How common is murder?

Ivory Coast: no data · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)

How dangerous are the roads?

Roads in South Africa are 19% deadlier than in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast: 20.6 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)

Climate

What the year feels like

How warm is it?

Ivory Coast is on average 8.4 °C warmer than South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)

How much rain falls?

Ivory Coast gets 2.4 times as much rain as South Africa.

Ivory Coast: 1,226 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)

What does the year feel like?
Time machine

Quick answers

Is Ivory Coast bigger than South Africa?

South Africa is larger. Ivory Coast fits inside South Africa 3.8 times.

Which has more people, Ivory Coast or South Africa?

South Africa has 2 times as many people as Ivory Coast (2025 estimates).

Where do people live longer, Ivory Coast or South Africa?

People in South Africa live 4.2 years longer than in Ivory Coast. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in Ivory Coast and 66.3 in South Africa.

Are people taller in Ivory Coast or South Africa?

Men in South Africa are 1.4 cm taller than in Ivory Coast (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).

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