Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
South Africa
1,221,037 km²
12.7% of largest
China is 7.86× larger than South Africa
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
South Africa
4.2% OF LARGEST
59.31M
PEOPLE
China has 23.82× the population of South Africa
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
South Africa
2.3% OF LARGEST
$419.9B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
South Africa
3.6% OF LARGEST
74K
TROOPS
China has 27.50× the active personnel of South Africa
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
South Africa
6.9% OF LARGEST
226
AIRCRAFT
China has 14.54× the aircraft of South Africa
Naval Assets
China
South Africa
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
South Africa
5.5% OF LARGEST
125.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
South Africa
1.7% OF LARGEST
$55B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
South Africa
1% OF MOST
5
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M 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)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
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
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
South Africa
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
South Africa
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
South Africa
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
South Africa
28
Gold
37
Silver
32
Bronze
97
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 97
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
South Africa
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
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
China is 10.9 years older (median) than South Africa
Youth Population
South Africa has the highest youth population at 58.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
South Africa
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
106
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
8.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
11
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
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.
|
China
|
South Africa
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $30 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $500 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $350 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $80 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $45 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $35 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 59308000 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 1221037 |
| Capital | Beijing | Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial) |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Zulu |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 74,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 15,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 89,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $3,500,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 195 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 2,265 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 43 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 97 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 50 |
Economy
| Metric | China | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $419,900,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $7,080 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 32.6% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 63.0 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.4127 Weaker |
| South Africa Currency | 2.4233 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | ZAR |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 16.4995 ZAR Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 7.9 times larger in area than South Africa.
China has 23.8 times more people than South Africa.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $12,720 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.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 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.
China vs South Africa: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 42.8x larger than South Africa's $420B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 23.8x larger than South Africa's 59M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 7.9x larger than South Africa.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs South Africa's 74Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while South Africa runs a trade surplus of $8B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 77 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