Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside South Africa 13 times
Portugal: 92,230 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 56% longer than Portugal’s
Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,099 m above Portugal’s
Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 41% of Portugal
Portugal: 41.3% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 6 times as many people as Portugal
Portugal: 10.8 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 2.2 times as densely populated as South Africa
Portugal: 118 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Portugal are 4.7 cm taller than in South Africa
Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 2.6 cm taller than in South Africa
Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 18 years older than in South Africa
Portugal: 46.2 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 Portugal
Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa
Portugal: 24.9% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Portugal hosts 7.6 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa
Portugal: 6.5 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.5
Portugal: 1.9 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Portugal 1
Portugal: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 23% larger than Portugal’s
Portugal: $347 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 3.3 times as much per person as South Africa
Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Portugal (Gini 20.2 points higher)
Portugal: 33.9 (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 0.4% in Portugal
Portugal: 0.4% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 6.2% in Portugal
Portugal: 6.2% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%
Portugal: 1.7% (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, Portugal’s 22%
Portugal: 22.3% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× South Africa’s
Portugal: 60% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 5.5 times as much on health per person as South Africa
Portugal: $2,971 (2024) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 16 years longer than in South Africa
Portugal: 82.4 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal
Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 7.4 times as many doctors per person as South Africa
Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Portugal: 3.5 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Africa is 88% higher than in Portugal
Portugal: 8.6 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 23% in Portugal
Portugal: 23% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 24% in South Africa
Portugal: 28.6% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Portugal rate their lives 1.02 points higher than in South Africa
Portugal: 6.03 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 59% more alcohol than in South Africa
Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 70% more meat per person than South Africa
Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 859 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa
Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 446 more hours a year than in Portugal
Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 1.9 years longer than in Portugal
Portugal: 9.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 19 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019)
Portugal: 2.71 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Portugal has 5 more World Heritage sites than South Africa (17 against 12)
Portugal: 17 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, Portugal 32
Portugal: 32 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Portugal are online, versus 78% in South Africa
Portugal: 88% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Portugal is 4.2 times as fast as in South Africa
Portugal: 330 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Portugal have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa
Portugal: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal
Portugal: 61% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal 124
Portugal: 124 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 8.3 times as long as Portugal’s
Portugal: 2,527 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 7.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa
Portugal: 1.69 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Portugal, but only 19% of South Africa
Portugal: 36.6% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Portugal
Portugal: 3.4 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa
Portugal: 81% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in Portugal
Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 61 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Portugal
Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 3 times as deadly as in Portugal
Portugal: 11 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Africa is on average 2.5 °C warmer than Portugal
Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Portugal gets 52% more rain than South Africa
Portugal: 777 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 Portugal bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Portugal fits inside South Africa 13 times.
Which has more people, Portugal or South Africa?
South Africa has 6 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Portugal or South Africa?
People in Portugal live 16 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 82.4 years in Portugal and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Portugal or South Africa?
Men in Portugal are 4.7 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
