Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Philippines fits inside South Africa 4.1 times
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 13 times as long as South Africa’s
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 496 m above the Philippines’
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 43% of the Philippines
Philippines: 42.7% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 80% more people than South Africa
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 7.3 times as densely populated as South Africa
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 4.4 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 4.4 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 2.9 years older than in the Philippines
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.3 more children on average than in the Philippines
Philippines: 1.89 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 5.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
South Africa hosts 96 times as many refugees per resident as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.0088 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, the Philippines 0.1
Philippines: 0.1 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, the Philippines 2
Philippines: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Philippines’ economy is 14% larger than South Africa’s
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 26% more per person than the Philippines
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in the Philippines (Gini 14.8 points higher)
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 5.3% in the Philippines
Philippines: 5.3% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 2.2% in the Philippines
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Philippines spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%
Philippines: 1.3% (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, the Philippines’ 14%
Philippines: 14.4% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the Philippines’
Philippines: 33% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 2.8 times as much on health per person as the Philippines
Philippines: $194 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Philippines live 3.6 years longer than in South Africa
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 12% more likely to die before turning one than in the Philippines
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa and the Philippines are nearly identical here
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Philippines: 1 per 1,000 (2021) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Africa is 5.2 times that in the Philippines
Philippines: 3.1 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 20% in the Philippines
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Philippines rate their lives 1.20 points higher than in South Africa
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 42% more alcohol than in the Philippines
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 73% more meat per person than the Philippines
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Philippines has 289 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 85 more hours a year than in the Philippines
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 1.6 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 6 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019)
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Africa has 6 more World Heritage sites than the Philippines (12 against 6)
Philippines: 6 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, the Philippines 18
Philippines: 18 (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 67% in the Philippines
Philippines: 67% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Philippines is 2.1 times as fast as in South Africa
Philippines: 166 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
95% of people in the Philippines have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines
Philippines: 56% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115
Philippines: 115 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 41 times as long as the Philippines’
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Philippines fly 49% more passengers per resident than those from South Africa
Philippines: 0.36 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of the Philippines, but only 19% of South Africa
Philippines: 24.8% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 4.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of the Philippines’ electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 6% more fine dust than in the Philippines
Philippines: 23.1 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 the Philippines
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2.4 times as deadly as in the Philippines
Philippines: 13.8 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 7.9 °C warmer than South Africa
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 5.9 times as much rain as South Africa
Philippines: 3,001 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 the Philippines bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. The Philippines fits inside South Africa 4.1 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or South Africa?
The Philippines has 80% more people than South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or South Africa?
People in the Philippines live 3.6 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in the Philippines or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 4.4 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
