Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Romania fits inside South Africa 5.1 times.
Romania: 238,400 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 12 times as long as Romania’s.
Romania: 225 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 906 m above Romania’s.
Romania: 2,544 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 3.4 times as many people as Romania.
Romania: 19 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 55% more densely populated than South Africa.
Romania: 83 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 8.2 cm taller than in South Africa.
Romania: 177.8 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 6.1 cm taller than in South Africa.
Romania: 164.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 14 years older than in South Africa.
Romania: 42.6 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 Romania.
Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
Romania: 20.1% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.4.
Romania: 2.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Romania 1.
Romania: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania and South Africa are nearly identical here.
Romania: $429 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 3.2 times as much per person as South Africa.
Romania: Int$50,895 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Romania (Gini 24.3 points higher).
Romania: 29.8 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 6.0% in Romania.
Romania: 6% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Romania: 2.3% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Romania’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× South Africa’s.
Romania: 44% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Romania spends 2 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
Romania: $1,051 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Romania live 10 years longer than in South Africa.
Romania: 76.5 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Romania.
Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 4.6 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 31% in South Africa.
Romania: 37.7% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Romania: 29.7% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 1.62 points higher than in South Africa.
Romania: 6.63 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 2 times as much alcohol as in South Africa.
Romania: 17.1 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 24% more meat per person than South Africa.
Romania: 72.5 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 955 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 356 more hours a year than in Romania.
Romania: 1,826 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 0.06 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 11.6 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 5 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Romania: 0.7 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
Romania: 91% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Romania have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
Romania: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Romania: 52% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Romania: 120 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 95% longer than Romania’s.
Romania: 10,769 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 62% more passengers per resident than those from Romania.
Romania: 0.15 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 14% of South Africa.
Romania: 30.1% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 91% more CO₂ than someone in Romania.
Romania: 3.6 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Romania: 47% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 71% more fine dust than in Romania.
Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 39 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Romania.
Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2.6 times as deadly as in Romania.
Romania: 9.6 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 7.4 °C warmer than Romania.
Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Romania gets 48% more rain than South Africa.
Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Romania bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Romania fits inside South Africa 5.1 times.
Which has more people, Romania or South Africa?
South Africa has 3.4 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Romania or South Africa?
People in Romania live 10 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Romania and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Romania or South Africa?
Men in Romania are 8.2 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
