Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 53% bigger than Pakistan
Pakistan: 796,100 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 2.7 times as long as Pakistan’s
Pakistan: 1,046 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Pakistan’s highest peak towers 5,161 m above South Africa’s
Pakistan: 8,611 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 47% of Pakistan
Pakistan: 47.2% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Pakistan has 3.9 times as many people as South Africa
Pakistan: 255 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Pakistan is 6.2 times as densely populated as South Africa
Pakistan: 331 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 2.3 cm taller than in Pakistan
Pakistan: 167.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 3.8 cm taller than in Pakistan
Pakistan: 154.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 7.9 years older than in Pakistan
Pakistan: 20.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Pakistan have 1.3 more children on average than in South Africa
Pakistan: 3.55 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 4.4% in Pakistan
Pakistan: 4.4% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Pakistan hosts 5.3 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa
Pakistan: 4.5 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, Pakistan 0.1
Pakistan: 0.1 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Pakistan 2
Pakistan: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 5% larger than Pakistan’s
Pakistan: $407 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 2.4 times as much per person as Pakistan
Pakistan: Int$6,573 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Pakistan (Gini 20.6 points higher)
Pakistan: 33.5 (2024) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
23% of people in Pakistan live on less than $3 a day, versus 17% in South Africa
Pakistan: 23% (2024) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 5.4% in Pakistan
Pakistan: 5.4% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Pakistan spends 2.9% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%
Pakistan: 2.9% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Pakistan: no data · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Pakistan’s
Pakistan: 24% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 18 times as much on health per person as Pakistan
Pakistan: $30 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Pakistan live 1.5 years longer than in South Africa
Pakistan: 67.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Pakistan is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Africa
Pakistan: 48.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Pakistan has 46% more doctors per person than South Africa
Pakistan: 1.2 per 1,000 (2021) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Pakistan: 0.6 per 1,000 (2020) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Africa is 78% higher than in Pakistan
Pakistan: 9.1 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 24% in Pakistan
Pakistan: 23.5% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 18% in Pakistan
Pakistan: 17.9% (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 0.14 points higher than in Pakistan
Pakistan: 4.87 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 100 times as much alcohol as in Pakistan
Pakistan: 0.1 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.7 times as much meat per person as Pakistan
Pakistan: 21.2 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 180 kcal more food per person per day than Pakistan
Pakistan: 2,514 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Pakistan put in 290 more hours a year than in South Africa
Pakistan: 2,471 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 7.3 years longer than in Pakistan
Pakistan: 4.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Pakistan: no data · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Africa has 6 more World Heritage sites than Pakistan (12 against 6)
Pakistan: 6 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, Pakistan 11
Pakistan: 11 (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 57% in Pakistan
Pakistan: 57% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in South Africa is 3.3 times as fast as in Pakistan
Pakistan: 24 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
96% of people in Pakistan have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa
Pakistan: 95.7% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 40% in Pakistan
Pakistan: 40% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Pakistan 77
Pakistan: 77 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 2.7 times as long as Pakistan’s
Pakistan: 7,791 km (2019) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 8.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Pakistan
Pakistan: 0.03 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of South Africa, but only 4.1% of Pakistan
Pakistan: 4.1% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 9.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Pakistan
Pakistan: 0.7 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
43% of Pakistan’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa
Pakistan: 42.7% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Pakistan carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in South Africa
Pakistan: 53.8 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 10 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Pakistan
Pakistan: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2 times as deadly as in Pakistan
Pakistan: 16.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Pakistan is on average 2.6 °C warmer than South Africa
Pakistan: 21°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Africa gets 23% more rain than Pakistan
Pakistan: 416 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 Pakistan bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 53% bigger than Pakistan.
Which has more people, Pakistan or South Africa?
Pakistan has 3.9 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Pakistan or South Africa?
People in Pakistan live 1.5 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 67.8 years in Pakistan and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Pakistan or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 2.3 cm taller than in Pakistan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
