France vs South Africa: Number of people living in extreme poverty

France
68.32 million people
in 2023
South Africa
52.09 million people
in 2022
France rank
20th
South Africa rank
23rd

Number of people living in extreme poverty over time

  • France
  • South Africa
020.0M40.0M60.0M197019962023

How they compare

France currently reports 68.32 million people against 52.09 million people in South Africa, a difference of 16.24 million people.

That makes France's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.

Across all 6 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.

France ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 120 countries.

France has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade France South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 62.79 million people 28.84 million people 33.95 million people France
2010s 65.63 million people 39.27 million people 26.36 million people France
2020s 68.15 million people 52.09 million people 16.06 million people France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people living in extreme poverty, France or South Africa?
France, at 68.32 million people against 52.09 million people in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between France and South Africa?
16.24 million people, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and South Africa?
6 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
How do France and South Africa rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
France ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 120 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs South Africa: Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/above-or-below-extreme-poverty-line-world-bank/france/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in extreme poverty
Unit
people
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.