China vs South Africa
China has 21.7× the population of South Africa: 1,406,585,000 vs 64,747,319, a gap of 1.34 billion. South Africa is growing faster (+1.15% vs −0.17% a year), adding about 744,395 people a year against −2,387,972. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is narrowing, but too slowly to close within two centuries. China is the older society: 14.9% aged 65+ against 6.9% in South Africa, while South Africa has more children (25.7% under 15 vs 15.4%). China is 2.9× as densely populated (150.3 vs 52.1 people per km²). People in China live 11.7 years longer on average (78.0 vs 66.3). GDP per capita is 2.1× higher in China ($13,862 vs $6,598).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (China) and 2025 (South Africa); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
China vs South Africa — side by side
 China |  South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,406,585,0002025 | 64,747,3192025 |
| Growth rate / yr | −0.17%2025 | +1.15%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 6.82024 | 18.52024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.82024 | 9.22024 |
| Children per woman | 1.012024 | 2.212024 |
| Life expectancy | 78.0 yrs2024 | 66.3 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 15.4%2025 | 25.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 14.9%2025 | 6.9%2025 |
| Density | 150.3 /km²2023 | 52.1 /km²2023 |
| Area | 9,562,910 km²2023 | 1,219,090 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 66.3%2025 | 63.8%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -268,1262025 | +146,3702025 |
| GDP per capita | $13,8622025 | $6,5982025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #2 | #24 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 17.12% | 0.79% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). China: 2.1× from 1960 to 2025; South Africa: 3.9× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Regions: East Asia & Pacific · Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
China: China vs India, China vs United States, China vs Indonesia, China vs Pakistan, China vs Nigeria, China vs Brazil, China vs Bangladesh, China vs Russia.
South Africa: South Africa vs India, South Africa vs China, South Africa vs United States, South Africa vs Indonesia, South Africa vs Pakistan, South Africa vs Nigeria, South Africa vs Brazil, South Africa vs Bangladesh.
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