INR
…
ZAR
…
Land Area
India
3,287,263 km²
Largest
South Africa
1,221,037 km²
37.1% of largest
India is 2.69× larger than South Africa
Population
India
LARGEST
1.46B
PEOPLE
South Africa
4.4% OF LARGEST
64.75M
PEOPLE
India has 22.61× the population of South Africa
GDP
India
LARGEST
$3.96T
South Africa
10.8% OF LARGEST
$427.18B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
India
LARGEST
1.45M
TROOPS
South Africa
5.1% OF LARGEST
74K
TROOPS
India has 19.53× the active personnel of South Africa
Air Force
India
LARGEST
2.18K
AIRCRAFT
South Africa
10.4% OF LARGEST
226
AIRCRAFT
India has 9.65× the aircraft of South Africa
Naval Assets
India
South Africa
Wealth
Gold Reserves
India
LARGEST
876.2
Metric Tonnes
South Africa
14.3% OF LARGEST
125.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
India
LARGEST
$570B
Reserves · excl. gold
South Africa
9.6% OF LARGEST
$55B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
India
MOST
200
billionaires
South Africa
3% OF MOST
5
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
India
LARGEST
4.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
India
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.7M b/d
Consumption
5.3M b/d
−4.6M 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)
India
$827.4B
Exports
$827.4B
Imports
$918.3B
Trade Balance
$-90.9B
Trade Deficit
South Africa
$127.5B
Exports
$127.5B
Imports
$119.8B
Trade Balance
+$7.8B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
India
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
India
consumption
South Africa
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
India
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
India
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
India
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
South Africa
India
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
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
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
India
South Africa
Age Demographics
Median Age
India
28.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
South Africa
28.1
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
India is 0.1 years older (median) than South Africa
Youth Population
South Africa has the highest youth population at 58.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
India has the highest elderly population at 8.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
India
|
South Africa
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
62
|
106
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
17.9M
|
8.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
10
|
11
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
43
|
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.
|
India
|
South Africa
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $3 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $15 | $30 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $250 | $500 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $150 | $350 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $35 | $80 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $12 | $45 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $15 | $35 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
South Africa
India
Physicians per 1,000
South Africa
India
Hospital beds per 1,000
South Africa
India
Diabetes prevalence
India
South Africa
Obesity prevalence
South Africa
India
Suicide rate per 100k
South Africa
India
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for India vs South Africa — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1463865525 | 64747319 |
| Area (sq km) | 3287263 | 1221037 |
| Capital | New Delhi | Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial) |
| Official Language | Hindi and English (official), 21 other scheduled languages | 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Zulu |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 1,445,000 | 74,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,155,000 | 15,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,610,550 | 89,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $81,400,000,000 | $3,500,000,000 |
| Tanks | 4,614 | 195 |
| Armored Vehicles | 12,000 | 2,265 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 100 | 43 |
| Towed Artillery | 4,175 | 97 |
| Rocket Projectors | 266 | 50 |
Economy
| Metric | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $3,956,067,115,772 | $427,184,325,997 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $2,702 | $6,598 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.2% | 32.4% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 25.5 | 54.1 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
India is 2.7 times larger in area than South Africa.
India has 22.6 times more people than South Africa.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
South Africa has the highest GDP per capita at $6,598 among the selected countries.
India has the largest economy with a GDP of
$3.96 trillion.
India has the largest active military personnel with 1,445,000 troops.
India has the largest air force with 2,182 aircraft.
India has the largest navy with 295 vessels.
India Fact: India has the world's largest film industry, producing over 1,800 films annually, more than twice Hollywood's output.
India vs South Africa: Key Comparisons
Economy: India's GDP of $4.0T is 9.3x larger than South Africa's $427B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: India's population of 1.5B is 22.6x larger than South Africa's 65M.
Area: India covers 3,287,263 km², making it 2.7x larger than South Africa.
Military: India fields 1.4Million active troops vs South Africa's 74Thousand.
Trade: India has a trade deficit of $91B while South Africa runs a trade surplus of $8B.
Life Expectancy: India leads with a life expectancy of 72 years vs South Africa's 66.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology