The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside South Africa 29 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 6.2 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 2,588 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 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 3.6 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 10 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.2 cm taller than in South Africa.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 11.8 cm taller than in South Africa.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 13 years older than in South Africa.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.8 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.4.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 3.1 times the size of South Africa’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 5.5 times as much per person as South Africa.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in the Netherlands (Gini 28.4 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2× South Africa’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 13 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 16 years longer than in South Africa.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 7.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 4.9 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Netherlands: 3.9 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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.21 points higher than in South Africa.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
South Africa and the Netherlands are nearly identical here.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 23% more meat per person than South Africa.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 773 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 743 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 1.1 years longer than in South Africa.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 6.5 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 6.9 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 9.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
Netherlands: 2.29 (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 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 9% more CO₂ than someone in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 63 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 7.2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Africa is on average 7.2 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 74% more rain than South Africa.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. The Netherlands fits inside South Africa 29 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or South Africa?
South Africa has 3.6 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or South Africa?
People in the Netherlands live 16 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or South Africa?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.2 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
