Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 29% bigger than Tanzania.
South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023) · Tanzania: 947,300 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 2 times as long as Tanzania’s.
South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 1,424 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tanzania’s highest peak towers 2,445 m above South Africa’s.
South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 5,895 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Tanzania has 9% more people than South Africa.
South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · Tanzania: 70.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Tanzania is 49% more densely populated than South Africa.
South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · Tanzania: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 2.7 cm taller than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 167 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 1.7 cm taller than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 11 years older than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · Tanzania: 17.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tanzania have 2.3 more children on average than in South Africa.
South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · Tanzania: 4.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · Tanzania: 3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Tanzania 0.0.
South Africa: 1.4 (2025) · Tanzania: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Tanzania 2.
South Africa: 11 (2026) · Tanzania: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 4.7 times the size of Tanzania’s.
South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · Tanzania: $90.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 3.6 times as much per person as Tanzania.
South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · Tanzania: Int$4,471 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Tanzania (Gini 13.6 points higher).
South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · Tanzania: 40.5 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 1.6% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Tanzania and South Africa are practically level.
South Africa: 0.7% (2024) · Tanzania: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Tanzania’s.
South Africa: 41% (2025) · Tanzania: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 15 times as much on health per person as Tanzania.
South Africa: $537 (2023) · Tanzania: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Tanzania live 0.9 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 66.3 years (2024) · Tanzania: 67.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tanzania is 19% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Tanzania: 28.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 5.9 times as many doctors per person as Tanzania.
South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Tanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 10% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · Tanzania: 10.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 7.7% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · Tanzania: 7.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 1.11 points higher than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · Tanzania: 3.90 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 5.8 times as much alcohol as in Tanzania.
South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · Tanzania: 1.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 4.8 times as much meat per person as Tanzania.
South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · Tanzania: 12.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 176 kcal more food per person per day than Tanzania.
South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · Tanzania: 2,518 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 53 more hours a year than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · Tanzania: 2,129 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 5.5 years longer than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · Tanzania: 6.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 6.2 times as many tourists per resident as Tanzania (2019).
South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · Tanzania: 0.02 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 31% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 78% (2024) · Tanzania: 31% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 52% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 90.2% (2024) · Tanzania: 52.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 37% in Tanzania.
South Africa: 64% (2025) · Tanzania: 37% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Tanzania 127.
South Africa: 179 (2024) · Tanzania: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 7.8 times as long as Tanzania’s.
South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · Tanzania: 2,701 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 8.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Tanzania.
South Africa: 0.24 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.03 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Tanzania, but only 14% of South Africa.
South Africa: 14% (2023) · Tanzania: 50.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 24 times as much CO₂ as someone in Tanzania.
South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · Tanzania: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
33% of Tanzania’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · Tanzania: 32.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
Tanzania and South Africa are nearly identical here.
South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Tanzania: 24.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 12 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Tanzania.
South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · Tanzania: 3.7 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 55% deadlier than in Tanzania.
South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021) · Tanzania: 15.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Tanzania is on average 4.7 °C warmer than South Africa.
South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 23.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Tanzania gets 2.2 times as much rain as South Africa.
South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 1,102 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Africa bigger than Tanzania?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 29% bigger than Tanzania.
Which has more people, South Africa or Tanzania?
Tanzania has 9% more people than South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Africa or Tanzania?
People in Tanzania live 0.9 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in South Africa and 67.2 in Tanzania.
Are people taller in South Africa or Tanzania?
Men in South Africa are 2.7 cm taller than in Tanzania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
South Africa vs Botswana 
South Africa vs Lesotho 
South Africa vs Mozambique 
South Africa vs Namibia 
South Africa vs Eswatini 
South Africa vs Zimbabwe 
Tanzania vs Burundi 
Tanzania vs DR Congo 
Tanzania vs Kenya 
Tanzania vs Malawi 
Tanzania vs Mozambique Tanzania vs Rwanda 
South Africa vs the world → Tanzania vs the world →