Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
South Africa
1,221,037 km²
12.4% of largest
United States of America is 8.05× larger than South Africa
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
335M
PEOPLE
South Africa
17.7% OF LARGEST
59.31M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 5.65× the population of South Africa
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$27.36T
South Africa
1.5% OF LARGEST
$419.9B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
South Africa
5.5% OF LARGEST
74K
TROOPS
United States of America has 18.21× the active personnel of South Africa
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
South Africa
1.7% OF LARGEST
226
AIRCRAFT
United States of America has 58.85× the aircraft of South Africa
Naval Assets
United States of America
South Africa
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
South Africa
1.5% OF LARGEST
125.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
South Africa
24.1% OF LARGEST
$55B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
South Africa
1% OF MOST
5
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
South Africa
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
0.6M b/d
−0.6M b/d net
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
South Africa
$127.5B
Exports
$127.5B
Imports
$119.8B
Trade Balance
+$7.8B
Trade Surplus
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Africa
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
United States of America
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Africa
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Africa
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Africa
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
South Africa
United States of America
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
South Africa
28
Gold
37
Silver
32
Bronze
97
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 97
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
South Africa
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
United States of America
38.8
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
United States of America is 10.7 years older (median) than South Africa
Youth Population
South Africa has the highest youth population at 58.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United States of America has the highest elderly population at 21.6% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
South Africa
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
106
|
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
8.5M
|
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
11
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
13
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
South Africa
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $8 | $20.0 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $30 | $80.0 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $500 | $1,950.0 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $350 | $1,500.0 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $80 | $175.0 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $45 | $68.0 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $35 | $85.0 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | South Africa | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 59308000 | 335000000 |
| Area (sq km) | 1221037 | 9833517 |
| Capital | Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial) | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Zulu | English (de facto) |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | South Africa | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 74,000 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 15,000 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 89,000 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $3,500,000,000 | $816,000,000,000.0 |
| Tanks | 195 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 2,265 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 43 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 97 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 50 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | South Africa | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $419,900,000,000 | $27,360,935,000,000.0 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $7,080 | $81,695.0 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 32.6% | 3.5% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 63.0 | 41.4 |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| South Africa Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 16.4995 Stronger |
| United States of America Currency | 0.0606 Weaker | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | ZAR | USD |
| 1 USD equals | 16.4995 ZAR Updated: 2026-06-27 | 1.0000 USD Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 8.1 times larger in area than South Africa.
United States of America has 5.6 times more people than South Africa.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $81,695.0 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$27.36 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
United States of America has the largest navy with 472 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
South Africa vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $27.4T is 65.2x larger than South Africa's $420B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 335M is 5.6x larger than South Africa's 59M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 8.1x larger than South Africa.
Military: United States of America fields 1.3Million active troops vs South Africa's 74Thousand.
Trade: South Africa runs a trade surplus of $8B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: United States of America leads with a life expectancy of 79 years vs South Africa's 65.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology