Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside South Africa 12 times.
South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 16% longer than South Korea’s.
South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,500 m above South Korea’s.
South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 25% more people than South Korea.
South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 9.9 times as densely populated as South Africa.
South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 5.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 4.6 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 16 years older than in South Africa.
South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 1.5 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
South Africa: 1.4 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, South Korea 1.
South Africa: 11 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 4.4 times the size of South Africa’s.
South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 4 times as much per person as South Africa.
South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in South Korea (Gini 21.2 points higher).
South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
South Africa: 0.7% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× South Africa’s.
South Africa: 41% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 5.8 times as much on health per person as South Africa.
South Africa: $537 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 17 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 66.3 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 11 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 1.03 points higher than in South Africa.
South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 4% more alcohol than in South Korea.
South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 44% more meat per person than South Africa.
South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 736 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 271 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.1 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 2.3 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
South Africa: 78% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
South Africa: 90.2% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
South Africa: 64% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Korea 173.
South Africa: 179 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 4.9 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 6.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa.
South Africa: 0.24 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 14% of South Africa.
South Africa: 14% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa.
South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
14% of South Africa’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 16% more fine dust than in South Korea.
South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 92 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in South Korea.
South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 3.6 times as deadly as in South Korea.
South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Africa is on average 5.3 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 2.5 times as much rain as South Africa.
South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Africa bigger than South Korea?
South Africa is larger. South Korea fits inside South Africa 12 times.
Which has more people, South Africa or South Korea?
South Africa has 25% more people than South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Africa or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 17 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in South Africa and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in South Africa or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 5.9 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
