Country Comparison

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Brazil

China

India

Russia

South Africa

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China —

India —

Russia —

South Africa —

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Core Area Population GDP

Trade Import/Export Wealth Oil

Military Armed Forces

Society Religion Demographics

More Global Stats Drinks Olympics Health Historical ↗ Cost of Living Basic Information Military Strength Economy

Land Area

Russia

17,098,246 km² Largest

China

9,596,961 km² 56.1% of largest

Brazil

8,515,767 km² 49.8% of largest

India

3,287,263 km² 19.2% of largest

South Africa

1,221,037 km² 7.1% of largest

Population

India

LARGEST

1.46B PEOPLE

1,463,865,525 445.3/km²

China

96.1% OF LARGEST

1.41B PEOPLE

1,406,585,000 146.6/km²

Brazil

14.5% OF LARGEST

212.81M PEOPLE

212,812,405 25.0/km²

Russia

9.8% OF LARGEST

143.51M PEOPLE

143,513,328 8.4/km²

South Africa

4.4% OF LARGEST

64.75M PEOPLE

64,747,319 53.0/km²

India 1.46B

LARGEST 445.3/km²

China 1.41B

96.1% of largest 146.6/km²

Brazil 212.81M

14.5% of largest 25.0/km²

Russia 143.51M

9.8% of largest 8.4/km²

South Africa 64.75M

4.4% of largest 53.0/km²

GDP

China

LARGEST

$19.5T

India

20.3% OF LARGEST

$3.96T

Russia

13.1% OF LARGEST

$2.56T

Brazil

11.7% OF LARGEST

$2.28T

South Africa

2.2% OF LARGEST

$427.18B

China $19.5T

LARGEST

India $3.96T

20.3% of largest

Russia $2.56T

13.1% of largest

Brazil $2.28T

11.7% of largest

South Africa $427.18B

2.2% of largest

Armed Forces

Active Personnel

China

LARGEST

2.04M TROOPS

India

71.0% OF LARGEST

1.45M TROOPS

Russia

44.2% OF LARGEST

900K TROOPS

Brazil

18.0% OF LARGEST

366.5K TROOPS

South Africa

3.6% OF LARGEST

74K TROOPS

China 2.04Mtroops

LARGEST

India 1.45Mtroops

71.0% of largest

Russia 900Ktroops

44.2% of largest

Brazil 366.5Ktroops

18.0% of largest

South Africa 74Ktroops

3.6% of largest

Air Force

Russia

LARGEST

4.17K AIRCRAFT

China

78.7% OF LARGEST

3.29K AIRCRAFT

India

52.3% OF LARGEST

2.18K AIRCRAFT

Brazil

16.3% OF LARGEST

679 AIRCRAFT

South Africa

5.4% OF LARGEST

226 AIRCRAFT

Russia 4.17Kaircraft

LARGEST

China 3.29Kaircraft

78.7% of largest

India 2.18Kaircraft

52.3% of largest

Brazil 679aircraft

16.3% of largest

South Africa 226aircraft

5.4% of largest

Naval Assets

China

LARGEST

777 VESSELS

Russia

77.9% OF LARGEST

605 VESSELS

India

38.0% OF LARGEST

295 VESSELS

Brazil

14.4% OF LARGEST

112 VESSELS

South Africa

3.9% OF LARGEST

30 VESSELS

China 777vessels

LARGEST

Russia 605vessels

77.9% of largest

India 295vessels

38.0% of largest

Brazil 112vessels

14.4% of largest

South Africa 30vessels

3.9% of largest

Full military comparison →

Wealth

Gold Reserves

Russia

LARGEST

2,332.8 Metric Tonnes

China

97.7% OF LARGEST

2,279.6 Metric Tonnes

India

37.6% OF LARGEST

876.2 Metric Tonnes

Brazil

5.6% OF LARGEST

129.7 Metric Tonnes

South Africa

5.4% OF LARGEST

125.4 Metric Tonnes

See gold reserves over time

Foreign-Exchange Reserves

China

LARGEST

$3.27T Reserves · excl. gold

India

17.5% OF LARGEST

$570B Reserves · excl. gold

Russia

12.6% OF LARGEST

$413B Reserves · excl. gold

Brazil

9.8% OF LARGEST

$319B Reserves · excl. gold

South Africa

1.7% OF LARGEST

$55B Reserves · excl. gold

See reserves over time

Billionaires

China

MOST

473 billionaires

India

42% OF MOST

200 billionaires

Russia

25% OF MOST

120 billionaires

Brazil

11% OF MOST

51 billionaires

South Africa

1% OF MOST

5 billionaires

Oil

Proven Reserves

Russia

LARGEST

80 Billion barrels

China

32.5% OF LARGEST

26 Billion barrels

Brazil

16.5% OF LARGEST

13 Billion barrels

India

5.6% OF LARGEST

4.5 Billion barrels

Production & Consumption

Brazil

NET EXPORTER

Production 3.7M b/d

Consumption 3.0M b/d

+0.7M b/d net

China

NET IMPORTER

Production 4.1M b/d

Consumption 15.4M b/d

−11.3M b/d net

India

NET IMPORTER

Production 0.7M b/d

Consumption 5.3M b/d

−4.6M b/d net

Russia

NET EXPORTER

Production 10.8M b/d

Consumption 3.7M b/d

+7.1M b/d net

South Africa

NET IMPORTER

Production 0.0M b/d

Consumption 0.6M b/d

−0.6M b/d net

Trade (Import/Export)

Brazil

$392.1B

Exports

$392.1B

Imports

$385.7B

Trade Balance

+$6.4B Trade Surplus

China

$3,753.1B

Exports

$3,753.1B

Imports

$3,219.3B

Trade Balance

+$533.7B Trade Surplus

India

$827.4B

Exports

$827.4B

Imports

$918.3B

Trade Balance

$-90.9B Trade Deficit

Russia

$476.4B

Exports

$476.4B

Imports

$382.4B

Trade Balance

+$94.0B Trade Surplus

South Africa

$127.5B

Exports

$127.5B

Imports

$119.8B

Trade Balance

+$7.8B Trade Surplus

See over time

Drinks per Person

Coffee kg / person / yr

Brazil consumption

5.5kg

Russia consumption

1.7kg

South Africa consumption

0.7kg

China consumption

0.1kg

India consumption

0.1kg

Tea kg / person / yr

Russia consumption

1.4kg

China consumption

1.0kg

India consumption

0.8kg

South Africa consumption

0.5kg

Brazil consumption

0.1kg

Beer litres / person / yr

South Africa consumption

60L

Brazil consumption

58L

Russia consumption

58L

China consumption

29L

India supply

Wine litres / person / yr

Russia consumption

South Africa consumption

Brazil consumption

China consumption

India consumption

Alcohol litres pure alcohol / person / yr

Brazil consumption

10.4L

Russia consumption

10.4L

South Africa consumption

8.6L

India consumption

5.2L

China consumption

3.7L

Smoking % of adults 15+ who smoke

Russia

24.5%

South Africa

23.6%

China

22.7%

Brazil

11.5%

India

8.9%

Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)

Olympic Medals

China

330 Gold

262 Silver

227 Bronze

819 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 727 ❄ Winter: 92

Russia

192 Gold

164 Silver

184 Bronze

540 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 422 ❄ Winter: 118

Brazil

41 Gold

49 Silver

81 Bronze

171 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 170 ❄ Winter: 1

South Africa

28 Gold

37 Silver

32 Bronze

97 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 97 ❄ Winter: 0

India

10 Gold

10 Silver

21 Bronze

41 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 41 ❄ Winter: 0

Full Olympics comparison →

Religious Demographics

Religious Distribution

Religious Composition by Country

Brazil

China

India

Russia

South Africa

Age Demographics

Median Age

Russia

OLDEST

39.2 YEARS

10 30 50 70

China

39.0 YEARS

10 30 50 70

Brazil

33.2 YEARS

10 30 50 70

India

28.2 YEARS

10 30 50 70

South Africa

YOUNGEST

28.1 YEARS

10 30 50 70

Age Distribution

Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)

Demographic Insights

Age Gap Russia is 11.1 years older (median) than South Africa

Youth Population South Africa has the highest youth population at 58.0% (under 30)

Elderly Population Russia has the highest elderly population at 22% (60+)

Global Statistics

Metric	Brazil	China	India	Russia	South Africa
Travel & Mobility
Passport Power visa-free destinations	174	85	62	119	106
Tourist Arrivals per year	6.8M	65.7M	17.9M	24.4M	8.5M
Culture & Prestige
Nobel Laureates all-time	0	8	10	32	11
3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide	2	12	0	0	0
UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites	25	56	43	32	12

Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Cost of Living

Metric All indices use New York City as base (100) Lower values indicate lower costs.	Brazil	China	India	Russia	South Africa
Cost of Living Index	35.8	42.0	25.0	35.8	40.2
Rent Index	12.5	16.5	8.5	15.2	15.5
Groceries Index	32.0	45.0	28.0	32.5	35.0
Restaurant Price Index	28.5	32.0	20.0	28.0	38.5
Local Purchasing Power	32.0	55.0	35.0	45.0	45.0
Common Expenses Comparison
Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD)	$6	$5	$3	$8	$8
Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD)	$25	$25	$15	$35	$30
Monthly Rent - City Center (USD)	$400	$600	$250	$600	$500
Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD)	$250	$380	$150	$400	$350
Monthly Utilities (USD)	$70	$50	$35	$85	$80
Internet (60 Mbps, USD)	$25	$20	$12	$12	$45
Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD)	$30	$30	$15	$25	$35

Brazil

7.6 2021

Want the long view?

GDP, population, reserves & trade for Brazil vs China vs India vs Russia vs South Africa — charted over the decades.

View Historical Data

Basic Information

Metric	Brazil	China	India	Russia	South Africa
Population	212812405	1406585000	1463865525	143513328	64747319
Area (sq km)	8515767	9596961	3287263	17098246	1221037
Capital	Brasília	Beijing	New Delhi	Moscow	Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
Official Language	Portuguese	Mandarin Chinese	Hindi and English (official), 21 other scheduled languages	Russian	11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Zulu
Currency	Brazilian Real (BRL)	Renminbi (Yuan, CNY)	Indian Rupee (INR)	Russian Ruble (RUB)	South African Rand (ZAR)
Government Type	Federal presidential constitutional republic	Unitary one-party socialist republic	Federal parliamentary constitutional republic	Federal semi-presidential republic	Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic

Military Strength

Metric	Brazil	China	India	Russia	South Africa
Active Personnel	366,500	2,035,000	1,445,000	900,000	74,000
Reserve Personnel	1,340,000	510,000	1,155,000	2,000,000	15,000
Total Military Personnel	1,700,000	2,545,000	2,610,550	3,350,000	89,000
Defense Budget (USD)	$19,700,000,000	$292,000,000,000	$81,400,000,000	$154,000,000,000	$3,500,000,000
Tanks	439	5,651	4,614	12,420	195
Armored Vehicles	1,896	35,000	12,000	30,122	2,265
Self-Propelled Artillery	56	4,120	100	6,574	43
Towed Artillery	550	6,246	4,175	7,571	97
Rocket Projectors	180	2,430	266	3,391	50

Economy

Metric	Brazil	China	India	Russia	South Africa
GDP (USD)	$2,279,920,092,492	$19,498,039,388,043	$3,956,067,115,772	$2,561,310,169,359	$427,184,325,997
GDP Per Capita (USD)	$10,713	$13,862	$2,702	$17,847	$6,598
Unemployment Rate (%)	6.0%	4.6%	4.2%	2.1%	32.4%
GINI Index (Income Inequality)	50.3	36.0	25.5	33.0	54.1
Currency	Brazilian Real (BRL)	Renminbi (Yuan, CNY)	Indian Rupee (INR)	Russian Ruble (RUB)	South African Rand (ZAR)
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Interesting Comparisons & Trivia

Did You Know?

Russia is 14.0 times larger in area than South Africa. That's a massive difference!

India has 22.6 times more people than South Africa. With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!

Russia has the highest GDP per capita at $17,847 among the selected countries.

China has the largest economy with a GDP of $19.5 trillion.

China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.

Russia has the largest air force with 4,173 aircraft.

China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.

China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.

India Fact: India has the world's largest film industry, producing over 1,800 films annually, more than twice Hollywood's output.

Russia Fact: Russia spans 11 time zones, more than any other country in the world.

Brazil vs China vs India vs Russia vs South Africa: Key Comparisons

Economy: China leads with a GDP of $19.5T, 45.6x larger than South Africa's $427B.

Population: India has the largest population at 1.5B, 22.6x larger than South Africa's 65M.

Area: Russia is the largest at 17,098,246 km², 14.0x larger than South Africa.

Military: China has the most active troops at 2Million, vs South Africa's 74Thousand.

Life Expectancy: China leads at 78 years; South Africa is lowest at 66 years.

Trade: China runs the largest surplus at $534B; India has the largest deficit at $91B.

Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research. Last updated July 2026. Sources & methodology