South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)

Switzerland’s highest peak towers 1,184 m above South Africa’s

South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 38% of Switzerland

South Africa: 79.4% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)

South Africa has 7.1 times as many people as Switzerland

South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)

Switzerland is 4.3 times as densely populated as South Africa

South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Switzerland is 14 years older than in South Africa

South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)

Women in South Africa have 0.9 more children on average than in Switzerland

South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)

20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa

South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)

Switzerland hosts 27 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa

South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Switzerland: 22.9 per 1,000 (2025)

Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Africa 1.5

South Africa: 1.5 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)

South Africa has 11 official languages, Switzerland 4

South Africa: 11 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)

Switzerland’s economy is 2.4 times the size of South Africa’s

South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)

Switzerland produces 6.4 times as much per person as South Africa

South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Switzerland (Gini 20.6 points higher)

South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)

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

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

Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 4.9% in Switzerland

South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)

Switzerland and South Africa are practically level

South Africa: 0.7% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)

South Africa’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Switzerland’s 9.5%

South Africa: 25.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)

Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× South Africa’s

South Africa: 41% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)

Switzerland spends 22 times as much on health per person as South Africa

South Africa: $537 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)

A baby in South Africa is 7.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Switzerland

South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)

Switzerland has 5.6 times as many doctors per person as South Africa

South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)

South Africa: no data · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)

The suicide rate in South Africa is 40% higher than in Switzerland

South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)

31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland

South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)

24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 23% in Switzerland

South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)

People in Switzerland rate their lives 2.01 points higher than in South Africa

South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)

Adults in Switzerland drink 1% more alcohol than in South Africa

South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)

Switzerland has 10% more meat per person than South Africa

South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)

Switzerland has 708 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa

South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)

Workers in South Africa put in 652 more hours a year than in Switzerland

South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)

Adults in Switzerland went to school 2.3 years longer than in South Africa

South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)

Switzerland welcomed 7.5 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019)

South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)

Switzerland has 1 more World Heritage site than South Africa (13 against 12)

South Africa: 12 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)

Switzerland has won 403 Olympic medals, South Africa 95

South Africa: 95 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)

97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 78% in South Africa

South Africa: 78% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)

Home internet in Switzerland is 5.1 times as fast as in South Africa

South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026) · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)

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

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

86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa

South Africa: 64% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)

South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129

South Africa: 179 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)

South Africa’s railway network is 5.1 times as long as Switzerland’s

South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)

Airlines from Switzerland fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa

South Africa: 0.24 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)

Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 19% of South Africa

South Africa: 18.8% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)

The average person in South Africa emits 91% more CO₂ than someone in Switzerland

South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)

68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa

South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)

The air in South Africa carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Switzerland

South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 73 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Switzerland

South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)

Roads in South Africa are 8.5 times as deadly as in Switzerland

South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)

South Africa is on average 11.9 °C warmer than Switzerland

South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)

Switzerland gets 3.2 times as much rain as South Africa

South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)