India and South Africa
Every measure where both countries carry a figure — 124 of them. India is ahead on 60 and behind on 64.
“Ahead” means better on that measure’s own terms: higher where higher is better, lower where lower is better. The years can differ between the two countries, because coverage is ragged — each figure carries its own.
Other comparisons
China · United States · Japan · Germany · Brazil · Indonesia · Vietnam · Bangladesh · Pakistan · Sri Lanka · Nepal · all twelve at once
Economy
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, current US$ US$ | $4.0T 2025 | $427B 2025 | ▲ 9.3× |
| GDP growth % per year | 7.6% 2025 | 1.1% 2025 | ▲ 6.8× |
| GNI per capita, Atlas method US$ | $2,760 2025 | $6,270 2025 | ▼ 2.3× |
| GDP per capita, PPP international $ | $11,748 2025 | $15,906 2025 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Central government debt % of GDP | 46.5% 2018 | 82.8% 2024 | ▲ 1.8× |
| Consumer price inflation % per year | 2.4% 2025 | 3.2% 2025 | ▲ 1.3× |
| Foreign direct investment, net inflows US$ | $41B 2025 | $-2B 2025 | ▲ |
| Unemployment rate % of labour force | 4.2% 2025 | 32.4% 2025 | ▲ 7.7× |
| External debt stock US$ | $716B 2024 | $176B 2024 | ▼ 4.1× |
| Extreme poverty % below $2.15/day | 2.6% 2023 | 17.4% 2022 | ▲ 6.7× |
| Poverty at $3.65 a day % below $3.65/day | 16.1% 2023 | 30.2% 2022 | ▲ 1.9× |
| Income inequality (Gini) Gini index (0 = equal) | 23 2023 | 54.1 2022 | ▲ 2.4× |
| Tax revenue % of GDP | 6.9% 2022 | 25.9% 2024 | ▼ 3.7× |
| Manufacturing output % of GDP | 13.5% 2025 | 12.3% 2025 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Exports of goods and services % of GDP | 22.3% 2025 | 31.4% 2025 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Investment rate % of GDP | 34.6% 2025 | 13.9% 2025 | ▲ 2.5× |
| Foreign-exchange reserves months of imports | 7.85 2025 | 6.22 2025 | ▲ 1.3× |
| Remittances received US$ | $151B 2025 | $1B 2025 | ▲ 150.0× |
| Labour-force participation % of population 15+ | 55.7% 2025 | 55.6% 2025 | ▲ 1.0× |
| Women in the labour force % of women 15+ | 32.4% 2025 | 49.9% 2025 | ▼ 1.5× |
| Cereal yield kg per hectare | 3,633 2024 | 4,562 2024 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Current account balance % of GDP | -0.5% 2025 | -0.4% 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Share of world goods exports % of world merchandise exports | 1.8% 2024 | 0.5% 2024 | ▲ 4.0× |
| International tourist arrivals arrivals | 98,24,000 2024 | 89,19,000 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Farm output per worker US$ (constant 2015) | 2,159 2025 | 10,818 2025 | ▼ 5.0× |
| Index of Economic Freedom score (0-100) | 52.5 2026 | 58.6 2026 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Share of world services exports % of world commercial services exports | 4.3% 2025 | 0.2% 2022 | ▲ 23.9× |
| Travel & Tourism Development Index score (1-7) | 4.42 2026 | 3.99 2026 | ▲ 1.1× |
Governance
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corruption Perceptions Index | 39 2025 | 41 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| World Press Freedom Index | 32 2026 | 21.6 2021 | ▲ 1.5× |
| Voice and accountability estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.152 2025 | 0.681 2025 | ▼ |
| Rule of law estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.129 2025 | 0.041 2025 | ▼ |
| Control of corruption estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.279 2025 | -0.133 2025 | ▼ 2.1× |
| Government effectiveness estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | 0.502 2025 | -0.023 2025 | ▲ |
| Regulatory quality estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.17 2025 | -0.068 2025 | ▼ 2.5× |
| Political stability and absence of violence estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.608 2025 | -0.382 2025 | ▼ 1.6× |
| Electoral democracy 0–1 | 0.377 2025 | 0.743 2025 | ▼ 2.0× |
| Liberal democracy 0–1 | 0.26 2025 | 0.633 2025 | ▼ 2.4× |
| Political corruption 0–1 (higher is worse) | 0.684 2025 | 0.538 2025 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Public sector corruption 0–1 (higher is worse) | 0.692 2025 | 0.755 2025 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Executive corruption 0–1 (higher is worse) | 0.688 2025 | 0.59 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Freedom of expression 0–1 | 0.458 2025 | 0.837 2025 | ▼ 1.8× |
| Judicial checks on government 0–1 | 0.667 2025 | 0.895 2025 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Military expenditure % of GDP | 2.3% 2025 | 0.7% 2025 | ▼ 3.1× |
| Arms imports SIPRI trend-indicator value | 2,86,30,00,000 2025 | 3,00,00,000 2025 | ▼ 95.4× |
| Political rights (Freedom House) score out of 40 | 31 2025 | 34 2025 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Civil liberties (Freedom House) score out of 60 | 31 2025 | 47 2025 | ▼ 1.5× |
| Prison population rate per 100,000 people | 37 2023 | 260 2025 | ▲ 7.0× |
| Global Diplomacy Index diplomatic posts | 194 2024 | 114 2024 | ▲ 1.7× |
| Global Peace Index score (1-5, lower = more peaceful) | 2.41 2026 | 2.31 2026 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Global Terrorism Index score (0-10, higher = greater impact of terrorism) | 6.43 2026 | 0 2026 | ▼ |
| Open Budget Index score 0-100 | 44 2025 | 82 2025 | ▼ 1.9× |
| Pre-trial detainees % of total prison population | 72.6% 2024 | 37.3% 2026 | ▼ 1.9× |
| Global Soft Power Index score (0-100) | 48 2026 | 44.2 2026 | ▲ 1.1× |
| UN peacekeeping contributions uniformed personnel (troops, staff officers, military experts on mission, police) | 4,278 2026-02 | 405 2026-02 | ▲ 10.6× |
| WJP Rule of Law Index score 0-1 | 0.49 2025 | 0.56 2025 | ▼ 1.1× |
Society
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's political participation 0–1 | 0.708 2025 | 0.997 2025 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Women in the Lok Sabha % of lower-chamber seats | 13.8% 2025 | 44.7% 2025 | ▼ 3.2× |
| Homicide rate per 100,000 people | 2.82 2022 | 43.7 2022 | ▲ 15.5× |
| Under-five mortality % of children dying before age 5 | 3.6% 2019 | 3.7% 2019 | ▲ 1.0× |
| Human Development Index | 0.685 2023 | 0.741 2023 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Global Hunger Index | 25.8 2025 | 12.9 2021 | ▲ 2.0× |
| World Happiness Report | 4.54 2026 | 5.01 2025 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Life expectancy at birth years | 72.2 2024 | 66.3 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Child stunting % of under-fives | 35.5% 2020 | 21.3% 2017 | ▼ 1.7× |
| Maternal mortality per 100,000 live births | 80 2023 | 118 2023 | ▲ 1.5× |
| Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 people | 187 2024 | 389 2024 | ▲ 2.1× |
| Out-of-pocket health spending % of health spending | 43.9% 2023 | 6.7% 2023 | ▼ 6.6× |
| Doctors per 1,000 per 1,000 people | 0.723 2020 | 0.794 2022 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Hospital beds per 1,000 per 1,000 people | 1.59 2021 | 2.25 2010 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Childhood immunisation % of children 12–23 months | 94.0% 2024 | 74.0% 2024 | ▲ 1.3× |
| Suicide rate per 100,000 people | 12.6 2021 | 22.3 2021 | ▲ 1.8× |
| Undernourishment % of population | 9.8% 2024 | 11.2% 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Human Capital Index 0–1 | 0.494 2020 | 0.425 2020 | ▲ 1.2× |
| Higher-education enrolment % gross | 34.4% 2025 | 23.5% 2023 | ▲ 1.5× |
| Government spending on education % of GDP | 4.1% 2022 | 6.0% 2024 | ▼ 1.5× |
| Fertility rate births per woman | 1.96 2024 | 2.21 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Sex ratio at birth male births per female birth | 1.07 2024 | 1.04 2024 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Child marriage % of women 20-24 married by 18 | 22.3% 2021 | 3.6% 2016 | ▼ 6.2× |
| Gender Inequality Index index (0 = equal) | 0.403 2023 | 0.388 2023 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Women, Business and the Law score out of 100 | 74.4 2023 | 88.1 2023 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Universal health coverage index index out of 100 | 69 2023 | 74 2023 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Learning poverty % of 10-year-olds | 56.1% 2017 | 82.0% 2021 | ▲ 1.5× |
| Average years of schooling years (adults) | 7.8 2020 | 10.5 2020 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Expected years of schooling years (a child starting now) | 13 2023 | 13.8 2023 | ▼ 1.1× |
| English Proficiency Index EF EPI score | 484 2025 | 602 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Global Gender Gap Index index (0-1, 1 = parity) | 0.645 2026 | 0.766 2026 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Multidimensional Poverty Index MPI value (0-1) | 0.069 2019-2021 | 0.025 2016 | ▼ 2.8× |
| Legatum Prosperity Index score (0-100) | 60.7 2026 | 61 2026 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Social Progress Index score (0-100) | 58.8 2025 | 66.3 2025 | ▼ 1.1× |
Environment
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renewable share of electricity % of generation | 24.1% 2025 | 13.6% 2025 | ▲ 1.8× |
| Solar generation TWh | 196 2025 | 19.5 2025 | ▲ 10.1× |
| Forest cover % of land area | 24.4% 2024 | 18.8% 2024 | ▲ 1.3× |
| CO₂ emissions per person tonnes per person | 2.17 2024 | 6.88 2024 | ▲ 3.2× |
| CO₂ emissions, total million tonnes | 3,154 2024 | 440.2 2024 | ▼ 7.2× |
| Water stress % of available freshwater withdrawn | 66.5% 2022 | 67.6% 2022 | ▲ 1.0× |
| Tree cover loss hectares per year | 1,25,678 2024 | 39,484 2024 | ▼ 3.2× |
| Climate Change Performance Index score (0-100) | 61.3 2026 | 51.4 2026 | ▲ 1.2× |
| Energy Transition Index score (0-100) | 54.9 2026 | 54.9 2026 | ▼ |
| ND-GAIN Country Index score (0-100, higher = less vulnerable and more ready to adapt) | 44.4 2024 | 44 2024 | ▲ 1.0× |
Innovation
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research & development spending % of GDP | 0.6% 2020 | 0.6% 2022 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Researchers per million people | 259.3 2020 | 444.2 2022 | ▼ 1.7× |
| Patent applications applications by residents | 63,217 2024 | 350 2024 | ▲ 180.6× |
| Scientific articles published articles per year | 2,28,174 2023 | 14,949 2023 | ▲ 15.3× |
| Global AI Index score (0-100, top-scoring country = 100) | 21 2025 | 12 2025 | ▲ 1.8× |
| Universities in the world top 500 universities | 3 2027 | 5 2027 | ▼ 1.7× |
Infrastructure
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to electricity % of population | 99.9% 2024 | 90.2% 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Access to clean cooking fuel % of population | 81.0% 2024 | 90.0% 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Safely managed drinking water % of population | 76.4% 2024 | 68.0% 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Safely managed sanitation % of population | 62.8% 2024 | 73.8% 2024 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Electricity use per person kWh per person per year | 1,423 2025 | 3,658 2025 | ▼ 2.6× |
| Liner shipping connectivity index (max in 2004 = 100) | 58.9 2021 | 39.1 2021 | ▲ 1.5× |
| Rail network route-km | 68,103 2021 | 20,953 2021 | ▲ 3.3× |
Digital
| Measure | India | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults with a bank account % of adults 15+ | 89.0% 2024 | 81.1% 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Mobile subscriptions per 100 people | 79.4 2024 | 179.3 2024 | ▼ 2.3× |
| Individuals using the internet % of population | 70.0% 2025 | 78.4% 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Fixed broadband per 100 people | 3.15 2024 | 5.35 2024 | ▼ 1.7× |
| E-Government Development Index EGDI (0-1) | 0.668 2024 | 0.862 2024 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Global Cybersecurity Index score out of 100 (0-1 scale in the 2014, 2017 and 2018 editions) | 98.5 2024 | 86.3 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Government AI Readiness Index score (0-100) | 66.6 2025 | 53.9 2025 | ▲ 1.2× |
| Mobile data price US$ per 1GB | 0.16 2023 | 1.81 2023 | ▲ 11.3× |
| Mobile internet speed Mbps | 128.2 2026-08 | 69.6 2026-08 | ▲ 1.8× |
| Network Readiness Index score (0-100) | 54.4 2025 | 47.9 2025 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Real-time payments billion real-time transactions per year | 129.3 2024 | 0.284 2024 | ▲ 455.3× |