World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside South Africa 11 times.
South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 6.4 times as long as the median country’s.
South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,115 m above the median country’s.
South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 8.7 times as many people as the median country.
South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 84% more densely populated than South Africa.
South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 3.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 2.0 cm taller than in South Africa.
South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 2.9 years older than in South Africa.
South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.3 more children on average than in the median country.
South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa.
South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
South Africa: 1.4 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, the median country 1.
South Africa: 11 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 9.4 times the size of the median country’s.
South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 32% more per person than South Africa.
South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in the median country (Gini 19.7 points higher).
South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 5.1% in the median country.
South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
South Africa: 0.7% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× South Africa’s.
South Africa: 41% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 14% more on health per person than the median country.
South Africa: $537 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 8.3 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 66.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 91% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country.
South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as South Africa.
South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 0.82 points higher than in South Africa.
South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 4% more meat per person than the median country.
South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 244 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa.
South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 207 more hours a year than in the median country.
South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 1.7 years longer than in the median country.
South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 2.5 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 78% in South Africa.
South Africa: 78% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
South Africa: 90.2% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
The median country and South Africa are practically level.
South Africa: 64% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
South Africa: 179 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as the median country’s.
South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
South Africa and the median country are nearly identical here.
South Africa: 0.24 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 14% of South Africa.
South Africa: 14% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 47% more fine dust than in the median country.
South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in the median country.
South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2 times as deadly as in the median country.
South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 4.5 °C warmer than South Africa.
South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 2 times as much rain as South Africa.
South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Africa bigger than the median country?
South Africa is larger. The median country fits inside South Africa 11 times.
Which has more people, South Africa or the median country?
South Africa has 8.7 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Africa or the median country?
People in the median country live 8.3 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in South Africa and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in South Africa or the median country?
Men in the median country are 3.9 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
