South Africa vs Spain: Number of people living in extreme poverty
South Africa
52.09 million people
in 2022
Spain
47.96 million people
in 2023
South Africa rank
23rd
Spain rank
26th
Number of people living in extreme poverty over time
- South Africa
- Spain
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 52.09 million people against 47.96 million people in Spain, a difference of 4.13 million people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Spain's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Spain ahead.
South Africa ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 26th of 120 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Spain in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.98 million people | 38.81 million people | 14.83 million people | Spain |
| 2000s | 28.84 million people | 43.06 million people | 14.22 million people | Spain |
| 2010s | 39.27 million people | 46.12 million people | 6.86 million people | Spain |
| 2020s | 52.09 million people | 47.41 million people | 4.68 million people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in extreme poverty, South Africa or Spain?
- South Africa, at 52.09 million people against 47.96 million people in Spain as of 2022.
- What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between South Africa and Spain?
- 4.13 million people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Spain?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do South Africa and Spain rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- South Africa ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 26th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.