South Africa vs Sweden
South Africa vs Sweden: Internet users
Internet users: 78.4% in South Africa in 2024 and 95.8% in Sweden in 2025, by ITU estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Sweden, by 17.2 percentage points, or 1.22 times that in South Africa.
% of people · ITU
What the numbers say
- Sweden has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1990.
- In 2024, South Africa ranked 102 and Sweden ranked 25 of 182 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 71.2% in 2024.
Every year
% of people · ITU
| Year | South Africa | Sweden | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 95.8 | 73.6 |
| 2024 | 78.4 | 95.5 | 71.2 |
| 2023 | 78.3 | 95.7 | 69.2 |
| 2022 | 78.3 | 95 | 67 |
| 2021 | 75 | 94.7 | 63.8 |
| 2020 | 72.1 | 94.5 | 60.1 |
| 2019 | 69.7 | 94.5 | 53.9 |
| 2018 | 62.4 | 89.3 | 49.4 |
| 2017 | 56.2 | 93 | 46.3 |
| 2016 | 54 | 89.7 | 43.6 |
| 2015 | 51.9 | 90.6 | 39.9 |
| 2014 | 49 | 92.5 | 37.4 |
| 2013 | 46.5 | 94.8 | 35.3 |
| 2012 | 41 | 93.2 | 33.3 |
| 2011 | 34 | 92.8 | 30.9 |
| 2010 | 24 | 90 | 28.4 |
| 2009 | 10 | 91 | 25.3 |
| 2008 | 8.4 | 90 | 22.8 |
| 2007 | 8.1 | 82 | 20.2 |
| 2006 | 7.6 | 87.8 | 17.2 |
| 2005 | 7.5 | 84.8 | 15.6 |
| 2004 | 8.4 | 83.9 | – |
| 2003 | 7 | 79.1 | – |
| 2002 | 6.7 | 70.6 | – |
| 2001 | 6.3 | 51.8 | – |
| 2000 | 5.3 | 45.7 | – |
| 1999 | 4.1 | 41.4 | – |
| 1998 | 2.9 | 33.5 | – |
| 1997 | 1.6 | 23.7 | – |
| 1996 | 0.8 | 9 | – |
| 1995 | 0.7 | 5.1 | – |
| 1994 | 0.2 | 3.4 | – |
| 1993 | 0.1 | 1.7 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | 1.5 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | 1.2 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | 0.6 | – |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people who used the internet in the last three months, from anywhere.
- Source: ITU, via the World Bank.
- Ranks count the 182 countries with a value in 2024, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
South Africa vs Sweden
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023Sweden: 83.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024Sweden: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017Sweden: 4.49% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Sweden: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023Sweden: 10.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023Sweden: 0.56% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023Sweden: 1.43 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025Sweden: 89.1% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023Sweden: 39.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023Sweden: 20.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Sweden: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025Sweden: 2.47% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025Sweden: $15B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025Sweden: $1,549 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025Sweden: 5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Africa: 89,000 people in 2020Sweden: 15,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022Sweden: 0.19% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020Sweden: 0.27% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 235 million TIV in 2025