Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 53% bigger than Mozambique
Mozambique: 799,380 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 56% of Mozambique
Mozambique: 56.1% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
South Africa hosts 5.9 times as many refugees per resident as Mozambique
Mozambique: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mozambique none
Mozambique: 0 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
81% of people in Mozambique live on less than $3 a day, versus 17% in South Africa
Mozambique: 81.4% (2022) · South Africa: 17.4% (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 1.9% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%
Mozambique: 1.9% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
South Africa’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Mozambique’s 22%
Mozambique: 21.8% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (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 many hospital beds are there?
Mozambique: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Mozambique is 3% higher than in South Africa
Mozambique: 16.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Africa has 10 more World Heritage sites than Mozambique (12 against 2)
Mozambique: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, Mozambique 2
Mozambique: 2 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in South Africa is 9% faster than in Mozambique
Mozambique: 72 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
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 41% of Mozambique, but only 19% of South Africa
Mozambique: 41.3% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
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 24% deadlier than in Mozambique
Mozambique: 26.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
