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🇲🇿 Mozambique vs 🇿🇦 South Africa

South Africa has 29.1M more people — 64,747,319 against 35,631,653. Below, 35 indicators both countries publish, side by side.

🇲🇿 Mozambique
35,631,653
Africa · rank #46 · +2.85%
World Bank, 2025
🇿🇦 South Africa
64,747,319
Africa · rank #24 · +1.15%
World Bank, 2025

Every Shared Indicator

35 indicators published for both countries. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.

Values are each country's most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each.
IndicatorMozambiqueSouth Africa
Population35,631,65346th of 24064,747,31924th of 240
Annual Growth Rate+2.85%18th of 240+1.15%98th of 240
Population Density/km²43/km²173rd of 24052/km²163rd of 240
Land Areakm²786,380 km²34th of 2401,213,090 km²24th of 240
Urban Population37.2%196th of 24063.8%127th of 240
GDP per Capita$627236th of 240$6,598147th of 240
GDP Growth−0.5%194th of 210+1.1%166th of 210
Life Expectancyyears63.8 years222nd of 24066.3 years205th of 240
Fertility Ratebirths per woman4.69 births per woman10th of 2402.21 births per woman98th of 240
Birth Rateper 1,00037.0 per 1,0008th of 21318.5 per 1,00083rd of 213
Death Rateper 1,0006.9 per 1,000123rd of 2139.2 per 1,00054th of 213
Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births43.7 per 1,000 live births19th of 19424.2 per 1,000 live births58th of 194
Unemployment Rate6.6%67th of 18632.4%2nd of 186
Inflation Rate4.4%55th of 1913.2%92nd of 191
Poverty Rate65.0%4th of 16437.9%39th of 164
Gini Index49.611th of 17054.15th of 170
Health Spendingof GDP8.5% of GDP52nd of 1928.9% of GDP47th of 192
Physiciansper 1,0000.18 per 1,000181st of 2060.79 per 1,000133rd of 206
Hospital Bedsper 1,0000.74 per 1,000171st of 1992.25 per 1,000104th of 199
Literacy Rate61.7%154th of 17591.2%102nd of 175
Education Spendingof GDP6.0% of GDP30th of 2026.0% of GDP28th of 202
School Enrollmentgross, secondary37.2% gross, secondary192nd of 207104.1% gross, secondary47th of 207
Renewable Energyof final consumption76.9% of final consumption21st of 2119.7% of final consumption146th of 211
Forest Coverageof land area45.8% of land area61st of 21114.0% of land area145th of 211
Internet Penetration20.5%191st of 21178.4%112th of 211
Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people49.5 per 100 people202nd of 212179.3 per 100 people11th of 212
Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births99 per 100,000 live births67th of 193118 per 100,000 live births60th of 193
Military Spendingof GDP1.99% of GDP69th of 1630.70% of GDP143rd of 163
Protected Areasof land area29.5% of land area40th of 2119.6% of land area154th of 211
Median Ageyears16.5 years233rd of 24028.7 years149th of 240
Mean Years of Schoolingyears4.2 years145th of 14810.5 years57th of 148
Human Development Index0.493181st of 1920.741105th of 192
Happiness Index/ 105.34/ 1099th of 1645.01/ 10109th of 164
CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita0.25 tonnes per capita195th of 2126.87 tonnes per capita42nd of 212
Obesity Rate9.4%173rd of 19831.3%58th of 198

Population, 1950–2100

Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.

MozambiqueSouth Africa
020M40M60M80M100M19501971199320142036205720792100projected →
Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024. Values from 2025 onward are projections, not observations.
Mozambique and South Africa population, 1950 to 2100
SeriesYearValue
Mozambique19505.91M
Mozambique19759.54M
Mozambique200018.1M
Mozambique202535.6M
Mozambique205063.5M
Mozambique207589M
Mozambique2100104.3M
South Africa195013M
South Africa197525.7M
South Africa200047.2M
South Africa202564.7M
South Africa205079.2M
South Africa207588.3M
South Africa210094.3M

Reading This Comparison

Size is not the same as rate

Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.

Mind the vintages

Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.

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