Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 53% bigger than Mozambique.
Mozambique: 799,380 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 13% longer than Mozambique’s.
Mozambique: 2,470 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,014 m above Mozambique’s.
Mozambique: 2,436 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 82% more people than Mozambique.
Mozambique: 35.6 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 18% more densely populated than Mozambique.
Mozambique: 45 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 5.3 cm taller than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 164.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 3.2 cm taller than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 155.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 12 years older than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 16.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mozambique have 2.5 more children on average than in South Africa.
Mozambique: 4.69 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 Mozambique.
Mozambique: 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, Mozambique 0.0.
Mozambique: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Mozambique 1.
Mozambique: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 19 times the size of Mozambique’s.
Mozambique: $22.3 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 9.4 times as much per person as Mozambique.
Mozambique: Int$1,698 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Mozambique (Gini 4.5 points higher).
Mozambique: 49.6 (2022) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 6.6% in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 6.6% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mozambique spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Mozambique: 2% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Mozambique’s.
Mozambique: 37% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 10 times as much on health per person as Mozambique.
Mozambique: $53 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Africa live 2.5 years longer than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 63.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mozambique is 81% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
Mozambique: 43.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 4.5 times as many doctors per person as Mozambique.
Mozambique: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 9.4% in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 9.4% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 11% in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 10.5% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mozambique rate their lives 0.33 points higher than in South Africa.
Mozambique: 5.34 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 4.3 times as much alcohol as in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 2 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 5.6 times as much meat per person as Mozambique.
Mozambique: 10.4 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 508 kcal more food per person per day than Mozambique.
Mozambique: 2,186 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 675 more hours a year than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 1,507 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 7 years longer than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 4.6 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 2.1 times as many tourists per resident as Mozambique (2019).
Mozambique: 0.07 (2019) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 21% in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 21% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 37% in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 36.9% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 37% in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 37% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mozambique 50.
Mozambique: 50 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 6.7 times as long as Mozambique’s.
Mozambique: 3,116 km (2011) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from Mozambique.
Mozambique: 0.02 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 46% of Mozambique, but only 14% of South Africa.
Mozambique: 45.8% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 28 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 0.2 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
83% of Mozambique’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Mozambique: 83.4% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 44% more fine dust than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 17 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Mozambique: no data · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 22% deadlier than in Mozambique.
Mozambique: 20.1 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mozambique is on average 5.9 °C warmer than South Africa.
Mozambique: 24.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Mozambique gets 79% more rain than South Africa.
Mozambique: 918 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mozambique bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 53% bigger than Mozambique.
Which has more people, Mozambique or South Africa?
South Africa has 82% more people than Mozambique (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mozambique or South Africa?
People in South Africa live 2.5 years longer than in Mozambique. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Mozambique and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Mozambique or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 5.3 cm taller than in Mozambique (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
