Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 80% bigger than Myanmar.
Myanmar: 676,590 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 45% longer than Myanmar’s.
Myanmar: 1,930 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Myanmar’s highest peak towers 2,420 m above South Africa’s.
Myanmar: 5,870 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 18% more people than Myanmar.
Myanmar: 54.9 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Myanmar is 57% more densely populated than South Africa.
Myanmar: 84 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 2.9 cm taller than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 166.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 3.9 cm taller than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 154.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Myanmar is 1.3 years older than in South Africa.
Myanmar: 29.5 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.1 more children on average than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 2.1 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.5% of people in Myanmar are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Myanmar: 7.5% (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, Myanmar 0.2.
Myanmar: 0.2 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Myanmar 1.
Myanmar: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 5.2 times the size of Myanmar’s.
Myanmar: $81.7 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 2.6 times as much per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: Int$6,012 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Myanmar (Gini 23.4 points higher).
Myanmar: 30.7 (2017) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.0% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Myanmar spends 6.8% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Myanmar: 6.8% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Myanmar’s.
Myanmar: 25% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 9.5 times as much on health per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: $56 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Myanmar live 0.78 years longer than in South Africa.
Myanmar: 67.1 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Myanmar is 36% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
Myanmar: 32.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 5% more doctors per person than Myanmar.
Myanmar: 0.8 per 1,000 (2019) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 8.3% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 8.3% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
43% of adults in Myanmar smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Myanmar: 43.4% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 0.72 points higher than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 4.29 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 4.6 times as much alcohol as in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 1.9 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.8 times as much meat per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: 20.9 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Myanmar has 115 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Myanmar: 2,809 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Myanmar put in 16 more hours a year than in South Africa.
Myanmar: 2,197 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 5.2 years longer than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 6.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 9.4 times as many tourists per resident as Myanmar (2019).
Myanmar: 0.01 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 45% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 45% (2020) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 80% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 80.4% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 31% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 31% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Myanmar 114.
Myanmar: 114 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Myanmar: no data · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 3.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Myanmar.
Myanmar: 0.06 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 42% of Myanmar, but only 14% of South Africa.
Myanmar: 42.4% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 12 times as much CO₂ as someone in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 0.6 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Myanmar’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Myanmar: 47.9% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Myanmar carries 28% more fine dust than in South Africa.
Myanmar: 31.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 17 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 2.6 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 27% deadlier than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 19.3 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Myanmar is on average 5.7 °C warmer than South Africa.
Myanmar: 24.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Myanmar gets 4.4 times as much rain as South Africa.
Myanmar: 2,233 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Myanmar bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 80% bigger than Myanmar.
Which has more people, Myanmar or South Africa?
South Africa has 18% more people than Myanmar (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Myanmar or South Africa?
People in Myanmar live 0.78 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 67.1 years in Myanmar and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Myanmar or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 2.9 cm taller than in Myanmar (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
