Russia’s coastline is 13 times as long as South Africa’s

Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)

Russia’s highest peak towers 2,192 m above South Africa’s

Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 13% of Russia

Russia: 13.2% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)

Russia has 2.2 times as many people as South Africa

Russia: 144 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)

South Africa is 6.1 times as densely populated as Russia

Russia: 9 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Russia is 11 years older than in South Africa

Russia: 39.5 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)

Women in South Africa have 0.8 more children on average than in Russia

Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)

18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa

Russia: 17.8% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)

South Africa hosts 10 times as many refugees per resident as Russia

Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)

Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.5

Russia: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)

South Africa has 11 official languages, Russia 1

Russia: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)

Russia’s economy is 6 times the size of South Africa’s

Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)

Russia produces 3.1 times as much per person as South Africa

Russia: Int$49,568 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Russia (Gini 21.1 points higher)

Russia: 33 (2023) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)

17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Russia

Russia: 0.1% (2023) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)

Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 2.1% in Russia

Russia: 2.1% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)

Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%

Russia: 7.5% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)

South Africa’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Russia’s 11%

Russia: 10.9% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)

South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Russia’s

Russia: 35% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)

Russia spends 87% more on health per person than South Africa

Russia: $1,003 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)

A baby in South Africa is 5.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Russia

Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)

Russia has 6.4 times as many doctors per person as South Africa

Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)

Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: no data

The suicide rate in Russia is 22% higher than in South Africa

Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)

31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 21% in Russia

Russia: 21.2% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)

27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 24% in South Africa

Russia: 27% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)

People in Russia rate their lives 0.82 points higher than in South Africa

Russia: 5.83 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)

Adults in Russia drink 21% more alcohol than in South Africa

Russia: 10.4 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)

Russia has 45% more meat per person than South Africa

Russia: 84.8 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)

Russia has 834 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa

Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)

Workers in South Africa put in 95 more hours a year than in Russia

Russia: 2,087 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)

Adults in Russia went to school 0.8 years longer than in South Africa

Russia: 12.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)

Russia: no data · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)

Russia has 21 more World Heritage sites than South Africa (33 against 12)

Russia: 33 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)

Russia has won 539 Olympic medals, South Africa 95

Russia: 539 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)

94% of people in Russia are online, versus 78% in South Africa

Russia: 94% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)

Russia: no data · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)

100% of people in Russia have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa

Russia: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)

75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa

Russia: 75% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)

Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Africa 179

Russia: 186 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)

Russia’s railway network is 4.1 times as long as South Africa’s

Russia: 85,544 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)

Airlines from Russia fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa

Russia: 0.69 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)

Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 19% of South Africa

Russia: 50.8% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)

The average person in Russia emits 79% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa

Russia: 12.3 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)

17% of Russia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa

Russia: 17.4% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)

The air in South Africa carries 89% more fine dust than in Russia

Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 5.6 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Russia

Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)

Roads in South Africa are 2.5 times as deadly as in Russia

Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)

South Africa is on average 21.0 °C warmer than Russia

Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)

Russia gets 15% more rain than South Africa

Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)