Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Poland fits inside South Africa 3.9 times.
Poland: 313,930 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 6.4 times as long as Poland’s.
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 951 m above Poland’s.
Poland: 2,499 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 78% more people than Poland.
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 2.2 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 11.1 cm taller than in South Africa.
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 7.2 cm taller than in South Africa.
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 13 years older than in South Africa.
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 1.1 more children on average than in Poland.
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.4.
Poland: 7.7 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Poland 1.
Poland: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 2.4 times the size of South Africa’s.
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 3.4 times as much per person as South Africa.
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Poland (Gini 25.6 points higher).
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.0% in Poland.
Poland: 3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Poland: 4.2% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× South Africa’s.
Poland: 52% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 12 years longer than in South Africa.
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 6.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Poland.
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 5.1 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 26% in Poland.
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 22% in Poland.
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 1.76 points higher than in South Africa.
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 33% more alcohol than in South Africa.
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 43% more meat per person than South Africa.
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 1,036 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 375 more hours a year than in Poland.
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 1.6 years longer than in South Africa.
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland welcomed 3.9 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Poland are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Poland: 89% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Poland have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Poland: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 60% in Poland.
Poland: 60% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Poland 138.
Poland: 138 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 13% longer than Poland’s.
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Poland and South Africa are nearly identical here.
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of Poland, but only 14% of South Africa.
Poland: 31.1% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 3% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa.
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
32% of Poland’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 56% more fine dust than in Poland.
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 54 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Poland.
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 3.8 times as deadly as in Poland.
Poland: 6.5 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 8.7 °C warmer than Poland.
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Poland gets 49% more rain than South Africa.
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Poland fits inside South Africa 3.9 times.
Which has more people, Poland or South Africa?
South Africa has 78% more people than Poland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or South Africa?
People in Poland live 12 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Poland or South Africa?
Men in Poland are 11.1 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
Poland vs Belarus 
Poland vs Czechia 
Poland vs Germany 
Poland vs Lithuania 
Poland vs Russia 
Poland vs Slovakia 
South Africa vs Botswana 
South Africa vs Lesotho 
South Africa vs Mozambique 
South Africa vs Namibia 
South Africa vs Eswatini 
South Africa vs Zimbabwe 
Poland vs the world → South Africa vs the world →