Bolivia vs South Africa
South Africa is 11% larger than Bolivia.
BoliviaSouth AfricaBolivia moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
0.9×
Bolivia is 0.9× the area of South Africa. Put the other way, South Africa is 1.11× the size of Bolivia.
 Bolivia |  South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSouth Africa: 1.11× the area | 1,098,581 km²#27 of 194 | 1,221,037 km²#24 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSouth Africa: 5.15× the population | 12,581,843#79 of 194 · 2025 | 64,747,319#24 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySouth Africa: 4.63× the density | 11 / km²#180 of 194 | 53 / km²#132 of 194 |
| Urban populationBolivia: 1.12× the urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBolivia: 1.14× the births per woman | 2.52 per woman#72 of 192 · 2024 | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBolivia: 0.20 points higher | +1.35%#73 of 192 · 2025 | +1.15%#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBolivia: 1.14× the birth rate | 21.0 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 18.5 per 1,000#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSouth Africa: 1.28× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bolivia: 3.7 points higher | 29.4%#72 of 192 · 2025 | 25.7%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65South Africa: 1.2 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 6.9%#102 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSouth Africa: 2.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +2.3 per 1,000#36 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBolivia: 3.0× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBolivia: 2.4 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 1.7× the infant mortality | 14.2 per 1,000 births#88 of 191 · 2024 | 24.2 per 1,000 births#58 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBolivia: 1.62× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2021 | 0.79 per 1,000#111 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 23.5%#109 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexSouth Africa: 0.008 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.741#105 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSouth Africa: 1.42× the income per person | $4,420#119 of 185 · 2025 | $6,270#101 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSouth Africa: 6.6× the economy | $64.77B2025 | $427.18B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)South Africa: 1.24× the output per person | $12,873#116 of 184 · 2025 | $15,906#107 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSouth Africa: 2.7 points higher | −1.6%#181 of 187 · 2025 | +1.1%#152 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBolivia: 16.3 points higher | +19.5%#12 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSouth Africa: 10.8× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 32.4%#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySouth Africa: 8.29× the share in extreme poverty | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 | 17.4%#39 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)South Africa: 13.2 higher | 40.9#32 of 149 · 2024 | 54.1#5 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureBolivia: 19.3 points higher | 24.7% of jobs#74 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySouth Africa: 1.0 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 | 20.8% of jobs#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSouth Africa: 18.3 points higher | 55.5% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 73.8% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBolivia: 1.3 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | -0.5% of GDP#171 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSouth Africa: 10.0 points higher | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2024 | 31.4% of GDP#98 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBolivia: 1.64× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#103 of 155 · 2025 | 0.7% of GDP#132 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 80%#99 of 184 · 2024 | 78%#101 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSouth Africa: 1.83× the mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2024 | 179 per 100#7 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBolivia: 2.67× the forest share | 50% of land#49 of 192 · 2024 | 19% of land#123 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSouth Africa: 3.0× the CO₂ per person | 2.29 t a year#98 of 185 · 2024 | 6.88 t a year#33 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBolivia: 3.1 points higher | 12.8%#127 of 190 · 2021 | 9.7%#143 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBolivia: 6.4 points higher | 96.6%#123 of 192 · 2024 | 90.2%#138 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 27.7 µg/m³#55 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBolivia: 21.3 points higher | 30.9% of land#30 of 191 · 2025 | 9.6% of land#143 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSouth Africa: 4.3 points higher | 5.6% of land#125 of 190 · 2024 | 9.9% of land#102 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSouth Africa: 338× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 67.6%#26 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBolivia: 2.32× the rain and snow | 1,146 mm#81 of 180 · 2022 | 495 mm#143 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBolivia: 0.22 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.38#129 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSouth Africa: 1.06 higher | −1.19#165 of 193 · 2025 | −0.13#87 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSouth Africa: 9.93× the homicide rate | 4.4 per 100,000#53 of 146 · 2023 | 43.7 per 100,000#5 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | La Paz | Pretoria |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) | South African rand (ZAR) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Aymara | English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sesotho, Tswana, Swazi, Tsonga, Venda, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, South African Sign Language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +591 | +27 |
| Region | South America | Southern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bolivia sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.09× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bolivia bigger than South Africa?
- No. Bolivia is 10% smaller than South Africa. Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does Bolivia fit into South Africa?
- About 1.1 times: South Africa has 1.11× the area of Bolivia.
- Why do Bolivia and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bolivia is drawn about 1.09× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bolivia or South Africa?
- South Africa: 64,747,319 people against 12,581,843. Density: Bolivia 11 per km², South Africa 53 per km².
- Which is richer, Bolivia or South Africa?
- By gross national income per person, South Africa: $6,270 against $4,420 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.42× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bolivia or South Africa?
- In Bolivia: life expectancy at birth is 68.7 years, against 66.3 — 2.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bolivia and South Africa have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bolivia: presidential republic; South Africa: parliamentary republic.