Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 48% bigger than Namibia.
Namibia: 824,290 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 78% longer than Namibia’s.
Namibia: 1,572 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 877 m above Namibia’s.
Namibia: 2,573 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 21 times as many people as Namibia.
Namibia: 3.09 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 14 times as densely populated as Namibia.
Namibia: 4 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Namibia and South Africa are practically level.
Namibia: 169.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Namibia are 1.7 cm taller than in South Africa.
Namibia: 160.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 7.3 years older than in Namibia.
Namibia: 21 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Namibia have 1.0 more children on average than in South Africa.
Namibia: 3.21 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 3.8% in Namibia.
Namibia: 3.8% (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, Namibia 0.0.
Namibia: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Namibia 9.
Namibia: 9 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 28 times the size of Namibia’s.
Namibia: $15.1 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 33% more per person than Namibia.
Namibia: Int$11,986 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Namibia than in South Africa (Gini 5 points higher).
Namibia: 59.1 (2015) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 19% in Namibia.
Namibia: 19.3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Namibia spends 2.7% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Namibia: 2.7% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Namibia’s.
Namibia: 41% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 35% more on health per person than Namibia.
Namibia: $397 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Namibia live 1.2 years longer than in South Africa.
Namibia: 67.5 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Namibia is 50% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
Namibia: 36.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 44% more doctors per person than Namibia.
Namibia: 0.6 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 17% in Namibia.
Namibia: 16.7% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Namibia: no data · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in Namibia.
Namibia: 4.78 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 2% more alcohol than in Namibia.
Namibia: 8.5 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.4 times as much meat per person as Namibia.
Namibia: 24.2 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 113 kcal more food per person per day than Namibia.
Namibia: 2,581 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Namibia and South Africa are practically level.
Namibia: 2,184 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 4.3 years longer than in Namibia.
Namibia: 7.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Namibia welcomed 2.1 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Namibia: 0.29 (2023) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 65% in Namibia.
Namibia: 65% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 59% in Namibia.
Namibia: 59.3% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 51% in Namibia.
Namibia: 51% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Namibia 85.
Namibia: 85 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 8 times as long as Namibia’s.
Namibia: 2,628 km (2014) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from Namibia.
Namibia: 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 7.8% of Namibia.
Namibia: 7.8% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Namibia.
Namibia: 1.1 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
98% of Namibia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Namibia: 97.6% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 57% more fine dust than in Namibia.
Namibia: 15.5 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.9 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Namibia.
Namibia: 11.2 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 11% deadlier than in Namibia.
Namibia: 22 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Namibia is on average 3.7 °C warmer than South Africa.
Namibia: 22.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Africa gets 67% more rain than Namibia.
Namibia: 306 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Namibia bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 48% bigger than Namibia.
Which has more people, Namibia or South Africa?
South Africa has 21 times as many people as Namibia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Namibia or South Africa?
People in Namibia live 1.2 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 67.5 years in Namibia and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Namibia or South Africa?
Namibia and South Africa are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
