Country Comparison

Military comparison → Olympics comparison → Historical data → Infographic →

Russia

South Africa

Russia —

South Africa —

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RUB …

ZAR …

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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

South Africa

1,221,037 km² 7.1% of largest

Russia is 14.00× larger than South Africa

Population

Russia

LARGEST

143.51M PEOPLE

143,513,328 8.4/km²

South Africa

45.1% OF LARGEST

64.75M PEOPLE

64,747,319 53.0/km²

Russia 143.51M

LARGEST 8.4/km²

South Africa 64.75M

45.1% of largest 53.0/km²

Russia has 2.22× the population of South Africa

GDP

Russia

LARGEST

$2.56T

South Africa

16.7% OF LARGEST

$427.18B

Russia $2.56T

LARGEST

South Africa $427.18B

16.7% of largest

Armed Forces

Active Personnel

Russia

LARGEST

900K TROOPS

South Africa

8.2% OF LARGEST

74K TROOPS

Russia 900Ktroops

LARGEST

South Africa 74Ktroops

8.2% of largest

Russia has 12.16× the active personnel of South Africa

Air Force

Russia

LARGEST

4.17K AIRCRAFT

South Africa

5.4% OF LARGEST

226 AIRCRAFT

Russia 4.17Kaircraft

LARGEST

South Africa 226aircraft

5.4% of largest

Russia has 18.46× the aircraft of South Africa

Naval Assets

Russia

LARGEST

605 VESSELS

South Africa

5.0% OF LARGEST

30 VESSELS

Russia 605vessels

LARGEST

South Africa 30vessels

5.0% of largest

Russia has 20.17× the naval assets of South Africa

Full military comparison →

Wealth

Gold Reserves

Russia

LARGEST

2,332.8 Metric Tonnes

South Africa

5.4% OF LARGEST

125.4 Metric Tonnes

See gold reserves over time

Foreign-Exchange Reserves

Russia

LARGEST

$413B Reserves · excl. gold

South Africa

13.3% OF LARGEST

$55B Reserves · excl. gold

See reserves over time

Billionaires

Russia

MOST

120 billionaires

South Africa

4% OF MOST

5 billionaires

Oil

Proven Reserves

Russia

LARGEST

80 Billion barrels

Production & Consumption

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)

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

Russia consumption

1.7kg

South Africa consumption

0.7kg

Tea kg / person / yr

Russia consumption

1.4kg

South Africa consumption

0.5kg

Beer litres / person / yr

South Africa consumption

60L

Russia consumption

58L

Wine litres / person / yr

Russia consumption

South Africa consumption

Alcohol litres pure alcohol / person / yr

Russia consumption

10.4L

South Africa consumption

8.6L

Smoking % of adults 15+ who smoke

Russia

24.5%

South Africa

23.6%

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

Olympic Medals

Russia

192 Gold

164 Silver

184 Bronze

540 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 422 ❄ Winter: 118

South Africa

28 Gold

37 Silver

32 Bronze

97 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 97 ❄ Winter: 0

Full Olympics comparison →

Religious Demographics

Religious Distribution

Religious Composition by Country

Russia

South Africa

Age Demographics

Median Age

Russia

OLDEST

39.2 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	Russia	South Africa
Travel & Mobility
Passport Power visa-free destinations	119	106
Tourist Arrivals per year	24.4M	8.5M
Culture & Prestige
Nobel Laureates all-time	32	11
UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites	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.	Russia	South Africa
Cost of Living Index	35.8	40.2
Rent Index	15.2	15.5
Groceries Index	32.5	35.0
Restaurant Price Index	28.0	38.5
Local Purchasing Power	45.0	45.0
Common Expenses Comparison
Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD)	$8	$8
Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD)	$35	$30
Monthly Rent - City Center (USD)	$600	$500
Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD)	$400	$350
Monthly Utilities (USD)	$85	$80
Internet (60 Mbps, USD)	$12	$45
Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD)	$25	$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

Russia

$1,003 2023

South Africa

$537 2023

Physicians per 1,000

Russia

5.1 2022

South Africa

0.8 2022

Hospital beds per 1,000

Russia

6.8 2023

South Africa

2.3 2010

Diabetes prevalence

South Africa

7.2% 2024

Russia

5.9% 2024

Obesity prevalence

South Africa

31.8% 2024

Russia

17.6% 2024

Suicide rate per 100k

South Africa

22.3 2021

Russia

21.4 2021

Want the long view?

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

View Historical Data

Basic Information

Metric	Russia	South Africa
Population	143513328	64747319
Area (sq km)	17098246	1221037
Capital	Moscow	Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
Official Language	Russian	11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Zulu
Currency	Russian Ruble (RUB)	South African Rand (ZAR)
Government Type	Federal semi-presidential republic	Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic

Military Strength

Metric	Russia	South Africa
Active Personnel	900,000	74,000
Reserve Personnel	2,000,000	15,000
Total Military Personnel	3,350,000	89,000
Defense Budget (USD)	$154,000,000,000	$3,500,000,000
Tanks	12,420	195
Armored Vehicles	30,122	2,265
Self-Propelled Artillery	6,574	43
Towed Artillery	7,571	97
Rocket Projectors	3,391	50

Economy

Metric	Russia	South Africa
GDP (USD)	$2,561,310,169,359	$427,184,325,997
GDP Per Capita (USD)	$17,847	$6,598
Unemployment Rate (%)	2.1%	32.4%
GINI Index (Income Inequality)	33.0	54.1
Currency	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!

Russia has 2.2 times more people than South Africa.

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

Russia has the largest economy with a GDP of $2.56 trillion.

Russia has the largest active military personnel with 900,000 troops.

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

Russia has the largest navy with 605 vessels.

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

Russia vs South Africa: Key Comparisons

Economy: Russia's GDP of $2.6T is 6.0x larger than South Africa's $427B — both among the world's largest economies.

Population: Russia's population of 144M is 2.2x larger than South Africa's 65M.

Area: Russia covers 17,098,246 km², making it 14.0x larger than South Africa.

Military: Russia fields 900Thousand active troops vs South Africa's 74Thousand.

Trade: Russia runs a trade surplus of $94B while South Africa runs a trade surplus of $8B.

Life Expectancy: Russia leads with a life expectancy of 73 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