Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 34% bigger than Venezuela.
South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023) · Venezuela: 912,050 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Venezuela and South Africa are nearly identical here.
South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · Venezuela: 2,800 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Venezuela’s highest peak towers 1,528 m above South Africa’s.
South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · Venezuela: 4,978 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 2.3 times as many people as Venezuela.
South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · Venezuela: 28.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 65% more densely populated than Venezuela.
South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · Venezuela: 32 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Venezuela are 3.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019) · Venezuela: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Venezuela are 1.5 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019) · Venezuela: 160 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Venezuela is 0.81 years older than in South Africa.
South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · Venezuela: 29 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.1 more children on average than in Venezuela.
South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · Venezuela: 2.08 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Venezuela are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · Venezuela: 10% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Venezuela 0.7.
South Africa: 1.4 (2025) · Venezuela: 0.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Venezuela 1.
South Africa: 11 (2026) · Venezuela: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 4.3 times the size of Venezuela’s.
South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · Venezuela: $99.7 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · Venezuela: no data
How evenly is income shared?
South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · Venezuela: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 5.3% in Venezuela.
South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · Venezuela: 5.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Africa and Venezuela are practically level.
South Africa: 0.7% (2024) · Venezuela: 0.5% (2023)
How expensive is it?
South Africa: 41% (2025) · Venezuela: no data
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as Venezuela.
South Africa: $537 (2023) · Venezuela: $186 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Venezuela live 6.4 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 66.3 years (2024) · Venezuela: 72.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in Venezuela.
South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Venezuela: 21.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Venezuela has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Venezuela: 1.7 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 23% in Venezuela.
South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · Venezuela: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · Venezuela: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Venezuela rate their lives 0.75 points higher than in South Africa.
South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · Venezuela: 5.76 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Venezuela.
South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · Venezuela: 2.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 53% more meat per person than Venezuela.
South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · Venezuela: 38 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Venezuela has 106 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · Venezuela: 2,800 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 352 more hours a year than in Venezuela.
South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · Venezuela: 1,829 hours (2014)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 1.9 years longer than in Venezuela.
South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · Venezuela: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Venezuela (2019).
South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · Venezuela: 0.01 (2017)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 77% in Venezuela.
South Africa: 78% (2024) · Venezuela: 77% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Venezuela have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
South Africa: 90.2% (2024) · Venezuela: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Venezuela live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa.
South Africa: 64% (2025) · Venezuela: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Venezuela 71.
South Africa: 179 (2024) · Venezuela: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 47 times as long as Venezuela’s.
South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · Venezuela: 447 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 3.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Venezuela.
South Africa: 0.24 (2023) · Venezuela: 0.06 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 52% of Venezuela, but only 14% of South Africa.
South Africa: 14% (2023) · Venezuela: 52.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 68% more CO₂ than someone in Venezuela.
South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · Venezuela: 4.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
91% of Venezuela’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · Venezuela: 91.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 54% more fine dust than in Venezuela.
South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Venezuela: 15.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.5 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Venezuela.
South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · Venezuela: 12.6 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 86% deadlier than in Venezuela.
South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021) · Venezuela: 13.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Venezuela is on average 7.4 °C warmer than South Africa.
South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Venezuela: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Venezuela gets 4.1 times as much rain as South Africa.
South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Venezuela: 2,117 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Africa bigger than Venezuela?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 34% bigger than Venezuela.
Which has more people, South Africa or Venezuela?
South Africa has 2.3 times as many people as Venezuela (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Africa or Venezuela?
People in Venezuela live 6.4 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in South Africa and 72.7 in Venezuela.
Are people taller in South Africa or Venezuela?
Men in Venezuela are 3.9 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
