South Africa vs United Kingdom: Number of people living in extreme poverty
South Africa
52.09 million people
in 2022
United Kingdom
66.72 million people
in 2021
South Africa rank
23rd
United Kingdom rank
21st
Number of people living in extreme poverty over time
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 66.72 million people against 52.09 million people in South Africa, a difference of 14.63 million people.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
Across all 6 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 23rd and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 120 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.98 million people | 57.60 million people | 33.62 million people | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 28.84 million people | 60.17 million people | 31.32 million people | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 39.27 million people | 63.47 million people | 24.20 million people | United Kingdom |
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 United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 66.72 million people against 52.09 million people in South Africa as of 2021.
- What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between South Africa and United Kingdom?
- 14.63 million people, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2014.
- How do South Africa and United Kingdom rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- South Africa ranks 23rd and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) β 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.