Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ukraine fits inside South Africa 2 times.
South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023) · Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa and Ukraine are nearly identical here.
South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,389 m above Ukraine’s.
South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 66% more people than Ukraine.
South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · Ukraine: 39 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ukraine is 26% more densely populated than South Africa.
South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ukraine are 11.3 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 181 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 8.0 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ukraine is 14 years older than in South Africa.
South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · Ukraine: 42 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 1.2 more children on average than in Ukraine.
South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Ukraine are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · Ukraine: 19% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ukraine 1.3.
South Africa: 1.4 (2025) · Ukraine: 1.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Ukraine 1.
South Africa: 11 (2026) · Ukraine: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 2 times the size of Ukraine’s.
South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · Ukraine: $214 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ukraine produces 19% more per person than South Africa.
South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Ukraine (Gini 28.5 points higher).
South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · Ukraine: 25.6 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 9.8% in Ukraine.
South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · Ukraine: 9.8% (2021)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 34% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
South Africa: 0.7% (2024) · Ukraine: 34.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Ukraine’s.
South Africa: 41% (2025) · Ukraine: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 45% more on health per person than Ukraine.
South Africa: $537 (2023) · Ukraine: $370 (2021)
How long do people live?
People in Ukraine live 8.4 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 66.3 years (2024) · Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ukraine.
South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ukraine has 4.4 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 28% in Ukraine.
South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · Ukraine: 27.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
South Africa and Ukraine are practically level.
South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · Ukraine: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 0.35 points higher than in Ukraine.
South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · Ukraine: 4.66 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 2.2 times as much alcohol as in Ukraine.
South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 18% more meat per person than Ukraine.
South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ukraine has 92 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 136 more hours a year than in Ukraine.
South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · Ukraine: 2,045 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 0.49 years longer than in Ukraine.
South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 2.1 times as many tourists per resident as Ukraine (2019).
South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · Ukraine: 0.07 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in Ukraine are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
South Africa: 78% (2024) · Ukraine: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Ukraine have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
South Africa: 90.2% (2024) · Ukraine: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Ukraine live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
South Africa: 64% (2025) · Ukraine: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133.
South Africa: 179 (2024) · Ukraine: 133 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 3% longer than South Africa’s.
South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine.
South Africa: 0.24 (2023) · Ukraine: 0.01 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Ukraine, but only 14% of South Africa.
South Africa: 14% (2023) · Ukraine: 16.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 83% more CO₂ than someone in Ukraine.
South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
16% of Ukraine’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · Ukraine: 16.4% (2022)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 72% more fine dust than in Ukraine.
South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Ukraine: 14.2 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 Ukraine.
South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2.3 times as deadly as in Ukraine.
South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021) · Ukraine: 10.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Africa is on average 8.1 °C warmer than Ukraine.
South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ukraine gets 21% more rain than South Africa.
South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Africa bigger than Ukraine?
South Africa is larger. Ukraine fits inside South Africa 2 times.
Which has more people, South Africa or Ukraine?
South Africa has 66% more people than Ukraine (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Africa or Ukraine?
People in Ukraine live 8.4 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in South Africa and 74.7 in Ukraine.
Are people taller in South Africa or Ukraine?
Men in Ukraine are 11.3 cm taller than in South Africa (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 
Ukraine vs Belarus 
Ukraine vs Hungary 
Ukraine vs Moldova 
Ukraine vs Poland 
Ukraine vs Romania 
Ukraine vs Russia 
South Africa vs the world → Ukraine vs the world →