Chad vs South Africa
Chad is 5% larger than South Africa.
ChadSouth AfricaChad moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
1.05×
Chad is 1.05× the area of South Africa.
 Chad |  South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaChad: 1.05× the area | 1,284,000 km²#20 of 194 | 1,221,037 km²#24 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSouth Africa: 3.08× the population | 21,003,705#64 of 194 · 2025 | 64,747,319#24 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySouth Africa: 3.24× the density | 16 / km²#177 of 194 | 53 / km²#132 of 194 |
| Urban populationSouth Africa: 2.31× the urban share | 28%#175 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateChad: 2.73× the births per woman | 6.03 per woman#1 of 192 · 2024 | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthChad: 2.26 points higher | +3.41%#6 of 192 · 2025 | +1.15%#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateChad: 2.34× the birth rate | 43.3 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 18.5 per 1,000#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateChad: 1.21× the death rate | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Chad: 20.3 points higher | 46.0%#4 of 192 · 2025 | 25.7%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65South Africa: 4.8 points higher | 2.1%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 6.9%#102 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSouth Africa: 8.2 per 1,000 higher | −5.9 per 1,000#175 of 192 · 2025 | +2.3 per 1,000#36 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadChad: 36.5× the refugees for its size | 0.73 per 1,000#67 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySouth Africa: 11.1 years longer | 55.2 years#191 of 192 · 2024 | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityChad: 2.33× the infant mortality | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 | 24.2 per 1,000 births#58 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSouth Africa: 8.78× the doctors per person | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2023 | 0.79 per 1,000#111 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentSouth Africa: 5.34× the university enrolment | 4.4%#142 of 145 · 2020 | 23.5%#109 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexSouth Africa: 0.325 higher | 0.416#187 of 190 · 2023 | 0.741#105 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSouth Africa: 6.46× the income per person | $970#171 of 185 · 2025 | $6,270#101 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSouth Africa: 19.9× the economy | $21.47B2025 | $427.18B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)South Africa: 5.48× the output per person | $2,903#172 of 184 · 2025 | $15,906#107 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthChad: 4.5 points higher | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 | +1.1%#152 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSouth Africa: 7.1 points higher | −3.9%#173 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSouth Africa: 29.5× the unemployment | 1.1%#172 of 178 · 2025 | 32.4%#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyChad: 2.27× the share in extreme poverty | 39.5%#20 of 149 · 2022 | 17.4%#39 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)South Africa: 16.7 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2022 | 54.1#5 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureChad: 66.3 points higher | 71.7% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySouth Africa: 12.3 points higher | 8.5% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 | 20.8% of jobs#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSouth Africa: 54.0 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#176 of 178 · 2025 | 73.8% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentChad: 0.5 points higher | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | -0.5% of GDP#171 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSouth Africa: 2.0 points higher | 29.4% of GDP#105 of 168 · 2025 | 31.4% of GDP#98 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingChad: 4.31× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#26 of 155 · 2025 | 0.7% of GDP#132 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSouth Africa: 6.22× the share online | 13%#182 of 184 · 2024 | 78%#101 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSouth Africa: 2.45× the mobile subscriptions | 73 per 100#155 of 191 · 2024 | 179 per 100#7 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSouth Africa: 6.27× the forest share | 3% of land#170 of 192 · 2024 | 19% of land#123 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSouth Africa: 49.1× the CO₂ per person | 0.14 t a year#177 of 185 · 2024 | 6.88 t a year#33 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyChad: 60.3 points higher | 70.0%#29 of 190 · 2022 | 9.7%#143 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySouth Africa: 76.8 points higher | 13.4%#191 of 192 · 2024 | 90.2%#138 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Chad: 1.55× the air pollution | 43.0 µg/m³#18 of 191 · 2023 | 27.7 µg/m³#55 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landChad: 11.4 points higher | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 | 9.6% of land#143 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSouth Africa: 5.7 points higher | 4.2% of land#135 of 190 · 2024 | 9.9% of land#102 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSouth Africa: 15.7× the water stress | 4.3%#126 of 176 · 2022 | 67.6%#26 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSouth Africa: 1.54× the rain and snow | 322 mm#153 of 180 · 2022 | 495 mm#143 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySouth Africa: 1.19 higher | −1.57#174 of 193 · 2025 | −0.38#129 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSouth Africa: 1.21 higher | −1.34#177 of 193 · 2025 | −0.13#87 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 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 | N'Djamena | Pretoria |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | South African rand (ZAR) |
| Official languages | French, Arabic | 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+1 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +235 | +27 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | 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. Chad sits at about 15° N and is stretched to 1.07× 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 Chad bigger than South Africa?
- Yes. Chad is 5% larger than South Africa. Chad covers 1,284,000 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does South Africa fit into Chad?
- About 1.1 times: Chad has 1.05× the area of South Africa.
- Why do Chad and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Chad is drawn about 1.07× 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, Chad or South Africa?
- South Africa: 64,747,319 people against 21,003,705. Density: Chad 16 per km², South Africa 53 per km².
- Which is richer, Chad or South Africa?
- By gross national income per person, South Africa: $6,270 against $970 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 6.46× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Chad or South Africa?
- In South Africa: life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years, against 55.2 — 11.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Chad and South Africa have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Chad: presidential republic; South Africa: parliamentary republic.