France vs South Africa
France has 6% more people than South Africa: 68,720,337 vs 64,747,319, a gap of 4.0 million. South Africa is growing faster (+1.15% vs +0.25% a year), adding about 744,395 people a year against +168,891. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, South Africa would overtake France in about 7 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2032) — a projection, not a forecast. France is the older society: 22.5% aged 65+ against 6.9% in South Africa, while South Africa has more children (25.7% under 15 vs 16.2%). France is 2.4× as densely populated (126.9 vs 52.1 people per km²). People in France live 16.7 years longer on average (83.0 vs 66.3). GDP per capita is 7.4× higher in France ($48,986 vs $6,598).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (France) and 2025 (South Africa); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
France vs South Africa — side by side
 France |  South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68,720,3372025 | 64,747,3192025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.25%2025 | +1.15%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 9.72024 | 18.52024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 9.42024 | 9.22024 |
| Children per woman | 1.612024 | 2.212024 |
| Life expectancy | 83.0 yrs2024 | 66.3 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 16.2%2025 | 25.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 22.5%2025 | 6.9%2025 |
| Density | 126.9 /km²2023 | 52.1 /km²2023 |
| Area | 606,410 km²2023 | 1,219,090 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 78.8%2025 | 63.8%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +91,7372025 | +146,3702025 |
| GDP per capita | $48,9862025 | $6,5982025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #23 | #24 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.84% | 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). France: 1.4× 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: Europe & Central Asia · Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
France: France vs India, France vs China, France vs United States, France vs Indonesia, France vs Pakistan, France vs Nigeria, France vs Brazil, France vs Bangladesh.
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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