Brazil
China
India
Russia
South Africa
BRL 1 USD = 5.19
CNY 1 USD = 6.81
INR 1 USD = 94.46
RUB 1 USD = 75.17
ZAR 1 USD = 16.50

Land Area

Russia flag Russia
17,098,246 km² Largest
China flag China
9,596,961 km² 56.1% of largest
Brazil flag Brazil
8,515,767 km² 49.8% of largest
India flag India
3,287,263 km² 19.2% of largest
South Africa flag South Africa
1,221,037 km² 7.1% of largest

Population

India
India flag LARGEST
1.42B PEOPLE
China
China flag 99.7% OF LARGEST
1.41B PEOPLE
Brazil
Brazil flag 15.1% OF LARGEST
213.99M PEOPLE
Russia
Russia flag 10.3% OF LARGEST
145.9M PEOPLE
South Africa
South Africa flag 4.2% OF LARGEST
59.31M PEOPLE
India flag India 1.42B
LARGEST 431.1/km²
China flag China 1.41B
99.7% of largest 147.2/km²
Brazil flag Brazil 213.99M
15.1% of largest 25.1/km²
Russia flag Russia 145.9M
10.3% of largest 8.5/km²
South Africa flag South Africa 59.31M
4.2% of largest 48.6/km²

GDP

China
China flag LARGEST
$17.96T
India
India flag 20.8% OF LARGEST
$3.74T
Russia
Russia flag 12.5% OF LARGEST
$2.24T
Brazil
Brazil flag 10.2% OF LARGEST
$1.83T
South Africa
South Africa flag 2.3% OF LARGEST
$419.9B
China flag China $17.96T
LARGEST
India flag India $3.74T
20.8% of largest
Russia flag Russia $2.24T
12.5% of largest
Brazil flag Brazil $1.83T
10.2% of largest
South Africa flag South Africa $419.9B
2.3% of largest

Armed Forces

Active Personnel

China
China flag LARGEST
2.04M TROOPS
India
India flag 71.0% OF LARGEST
1.45M TROOPS
Russia
Russia flag 44.2% OF LARGEST
900K TROOPS
Brazil
Brazil flag 18.0% OF LARGEST
366.5K TROOPS
South Africa
South Africa flag 3.6% OF LARGEST
74K TROOPS
China flag China 2.04Mtroops
LARGEST
India flag India 1.45Mtroops
71.0% of largest
Russia flag Russia 900Ktroops
44.2% of largest
Brazil flag Brazil 366.5Ktroops
18.0% of largest
South Africa flag South Africa 74Ktroops
3.6% of largest

Air Force

Russia
Russia flag LARGEST
4.17K AIRCRAFT
China
China flag 78.7% OF LARGEST
3.29K AIRCRAFT
India
India flag 52.3% OF LARGEST
2.18K AIRCRAFT
Brazil
Brazil flag 16.3% OF LARGEST
679 AIRCRAFT
South Africa
South Africa flag 5.4% OF LARGEST
226 AIRCRAFT
Russia flag Russia 4.17Kaircraft
LARGEST
China flag China 3.29Kaircraft
78.7% of largest
India flag India 2.18Kaircraft
52.3% of largest
Brazil flag Brazil 679aircraft
16.3% of largest
South Africa flag South Africa 226aircraft
5.4% of largest

Wealth

Gold Reserves

Russia
Russia flag LARGEST
2,332.8 Metric Tonnes
China
China flag 97.7% OF LARGEST
2,279.6 Metric Tonnes
India
India flag 37.6% OF LARGEST
876.2 Metric Tonnes
Brazil
Brazil flag 5.6% OF LARGEST
129.7 Metric Tonnes
South Africa
South Africa flag 5.4% OF LARGEST
125.4 Metric Tonnes

Foreign-Exchange Reserves

China
China flag LARGEST
$3.27T Reserves · excl. gold
India
India flag 17.5% OF LARGEST
$570B Reserves · excl. gold
Russia
Russia flag 12.6% OF LARGEST
$413B Reserves · excl. gold
Brazil
Brazil flag 9.8% OF LARGEST
$319B Reserves · excl. gold
South Africa
South Africa flag 1.7% OF LARGEST
$55B Reserves · excl. gold

Billionaires

China
China flag MOST
473 billionaires
India
India flag 42% OF MOST
200 billionaires
Russia
Russia flag 25% OF MOST
120 billionaires
Brazil
Brazil flag 11% OF MOST
51 billionaires
South Africa
South Africa flag 1% OF MOST
5 billionaires

Oil

Proven Reserves

Russia
Russia flag LARGEST
80 Billion barrels
China
China flag 32.5% OF LARGEST
26 Billion barrels
Brazil
Brazil flag 16.5% OF LARGEST
13 Billion barrels
India
India flag 5.6% OF LARGEST
4.5 Billion barrels

Production & Consumption

Brazil
Brazil flag NET EXPORTER
Production 3.7M b/d
Consumption 3.0M b/d
+0.7M b/d net
China
China flag NET IMPORTER
Production 4.1M b/d
Consumption 15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
India
India flag NET IMPORTER
Production 0.7M b/d
Consumption 5.3M b/d
−4.6M b/d net
Russia
Russia flag NET EXPORTER
Production 10.8M b/d
Consumption 3.7M b/d
+7.1M b/d net
South Africa
South Africa flag NET IMPORTER
Production 0.0M b/d
Consumption 0.6M b/d
−0.6M b/d net

Trade (Import/Export)

Brazil
Brazil flag $392.1B
Exports
$392.1B
Imports
$385.7B
Trade Balance
+$6.4B Trade Surplus
China
China flag $3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B Trade Surplus
India
India flag $827.4B
Exports
$827.4B
Imports
$918.3B
Trade Balance
$-90.9B Trade Deficit
Russia
Russia flag $476.4B
Exports
$476.4B
Imports
$382.4B
Trade Balance
+$94.0B Trade Surplus
South Africa
South Africa flag $127.5B
Exports
$127.5B
Imports
$119.8B
Trade Balance
+$7.8B Trade Surplus

Drinks per Person

Coffee kg / person / yr
Brazil flag
Brazil consumption
5.5kg
Russia flag
Russia consumption
1.7kg
South Africa flag
South Africa consumption
0.7kg
China flag
China consumption
0.1kg
India flag
India consumption
0.1kg
Tea kg / person / yr
Russia flag
Russia consumption
1.4kg
China flag
China consumption
1.0kg
India flag
India consumption
0.8kg
South Africa flag
South Africa consumption
0.5kg
Brazil flag
Brazil consumption
0.1kg
Beer litres / person / yr
South Africa flag
South Africa consumption
60L
Brazil flag
Brazil consumption
58L
Russia flag
Russia consumption
58L
China flag
China consumption
29L
India flag
India supply
2L
Wine litres / person / yr
Russia flag
Russia consumption
7L
South Africa flag
South Africa consumption
7L
Brazil flag
Brazil consumption
2L
China flag
China consumption
1L
India flag
India consumption
0L
Alcohol litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Brazil flag
Brazil consumption
10.4L
Russia flag
Russia consumption
10.4L
South Africa flag
South Africa consumption
8.6L
India flag
India consumption
5.2L
China flag
China consumption
3.7L
Smoking % of adults 15+ who smoke
China flag
China
24.1%
Russia flag
Russia
22.2%
South Africa flag
South Africa
17.2%
Brazil flag
Brazil
10.1%
India flag
India
3.9%
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)

Olympic Medals

China flag
China
330 Gold
262 Silver
227 Bronze
819 Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727 ❄ Winter: 92
Russia flag
Russia
192 Gold
164 Silver
184 Bronze
540 Total Medals
☀ Summer: 422 ❄ Winter: 118
Brazil flag
Brazil
41 Gold
49 Silver
81 Bronze
171 Total Medals
☀ Summer: 170 ❄ Winter: 1
South Africa flag
South Africa
28 Gold
37 Silver
32 Bronze
97 Total Medals
☀ Summer: 97 ❄ Winter: 0
India flag
India
10 Gold
10 Silver
21 Bronze
41 Total Medals
☀ Summer: 41 ❄ Winter: 0

Religious Demographics

Religious Distribution

Religious Composition by Country

Brazil flag Brazil
China flag China
India flag India
Russia flag Russia
South Africa flag South Africa

Age Demographics

Median Age

Russia flag Russia
OLDEST
39.2 YEARS
10 30 50 70
China flag China
39.0 YEARS
10 30 50 70
Brazil flag Brazil
33.2 YEARS
10 30 50 70
India flag India
28.2 YEARS
10 30 50 70
South Africa flag 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 flag Brazil
China flag China
India flag India
Russia flag Russia
South Africa flag 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
1
8
12
32
11
3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide
0
9
0
0
0
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.
Brazil flag Brazil
China flag China
India flag India
Russia flag Russia
South Africa flag 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

Historical Data

GDP Over Time

Population Over Time

GDP per Capita Over Time

Gold Reserves Over Time

Foreign-Exchange Reserves Over Time

Exports Over Time

Imports Over Time

Trade Balance Over Time

Basic Information

Metric Brazil China India Russia South Africa
Population 213993000 1412600000 1417200000 145900000 59308000
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) $1,833,000,000,000 $17,963,200,000,000 $3,736,900,000,000 $2,240,400,000,000 $419,900,000,000
GDP Per Capita (USD) $8,570 $12,720 $2,637 $15,357 $7,080
Unemployment Rate (%) 11.1% 4.0% 7.8% 4.9% 32.6%
GINI Index (Income Inequality) 53.3 38.5 35.7 37.5 63.0
Currency Brazilian Real (BRL) Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) Indian Rupee (INR) Russian Ruble (RUB) South African Rand (ZAR)
Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency)
Brazil Currency 1.00 (Same) 0.7621 Weaker 0.0549 Weaker 0.0690 Weaker 0.3145 Weaker
China Currency 1.3121 Stronger 1.00 (Same) 0.0721 Weaker 0.0906 Weaker 0.4127 Weaker
India Currency 18.2044 Stronger 13.8740 Stronger 1.00 (Same) 1.2567 Stronger 5.7252 Stronger
Russia Currency 14.4860 Stronger 11.0401 Stronger 0.7957 Weaker 1.00 (Same) 4.5558 Stronger
South Africa Currency 3.1797 Stronger 2.4233 Stronger 0.1747 Weaker 0.2195 Weaker 1.00 (Same)
USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency)
Currency BRL CNY INR RUB ZAR
1 USD equals 5.1890 BRL Updated: 2026-06-27 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 94.4628 INR Updated: 2026-06-27 75.1676 RUB Updated: 2026-06-27 16.4995 ZAR Updated: 2026-06-27

Interesting Comparisons & Trivia

Did You Know?

Russia is 14.0 times larger in area than South Africa. That's a massive difference!
India has 23.9 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 $15,357 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of $17.96 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 $18.0T, 42.8x larger than South Africa's $420B.
Population: India has the largest population at 1.4B, 23.9x larger than South Africa's 59M.
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 77 years; South Africa is lowest at 65 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 June 2026. Sources & methodology