Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Mexico is 61% bigger than South Africa.
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 3.3 times as long as South Africa’s.
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 2,186 m above South Africa’s.
Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 2 times as many people as South Africa.
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Mexico is 27% more densely populated than South Africa.
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Mexico and South Africa are practically level.
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
South Africa and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Mexico is 0.67 years older than in South Africa.
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.3 more children on average than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.5% of people in Mexico are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Mexico: 8.5% (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, Mexico 0.2.
Mexico: 0.2 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Mexico 1.
Mexico: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 4.3 times the size of South Africa’s.
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mexico produces 63% more per person than South Africa.
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Mexico (Gini 11.5 points higher).
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 2.7% in Mexico.
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mexico and South Africa are practically level.
Mexico: 0.9% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× South Africa’s.
Mexico: 54% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mexico spends 42% more on health per person than South Africa.
Mexico: $761 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Mexico live 9 years longer than in South Africa.
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Mexico.
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mexico has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 31% in South Africa.
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 16% in Mexico.
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 1.96 points higher than in South Africa.
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 29% more alcohol than in Mexico.
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 34% more meat per person than South Africa.
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 611 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 553 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 2.3 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 2.5 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Mexico: 0.34 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
83% of people in Mexico are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Mexico: 83% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Mexico have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Mexico: 80% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116.
Mexico: 116 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 12% longer than South Africa’s.
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Mexico fly 2.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
Mexico: 0.6 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Mexico, but only 14% of South Africa.
Mexico: 33.6% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mexico.
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of Mexico’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 33% more fine dust than in Mexico.
Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 76% more likely to be murdered in South Africa than in Mexico.
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2 times as deadly as in Mexico.
Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 3.0 °C warmer than South Africa.
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Mexico gets 54% more rain than South Africa.
Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mexico bigger than South Africa?
Mexico is larger. Mexico is 61% bigger than South Africa.
Which has more people, Mexico or South Africa?
Mexico has 2 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or South Africa?
People in Mexico live 9 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Mexico or South Africa?
Mexico and South Africa are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
