Madagascar vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line

Madagascar
69.2%
in 2021
Sub-Saharan Africa
48.3%
in 2024
Madagascar rank
5th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
2nd

Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line over time

  • Madagascar
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
020406080198020022024

How they compare

Madagascar currently reports 69.2% against 48.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 20.9%.

That makes Madagascar's figure about 1.4 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 8 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Madagascar ahead.

Madagascar ranks 5th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 123 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Madagascar averaged higher in 3 and Sub-Saharan Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Madagascar Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 80.8% 65.0% 15.8% Madagascar
2000s 56.4% 59.7% 3.3% Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s 66.3% 51.0% 15.2% Madagascar
2020s 69.2% 49.3% 19.9% Madagascar

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line, Madagascar or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Madagascar, at 69.2% against 48.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2021.
What is the difference in poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line between Madagascar and Sub-Saharan Africa?
20.9%, with Madagascar ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Madagascar and Sub-Saharan Africa?
8 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2021.
How do Madagascar and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
Madagascar ranks 5th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 123 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Madagascar vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/poverty-headcount-ratio-at-societal-poverty-line-percent-of-population/madagascar/sub-saharan-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/poverty-headcount-ratio-at-societal-poverty-line-percent-of-population/madagascar/sub-saharan-africa/">Madagascar vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population)
Unit
% of population
Source
World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
137 places, 2,860 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.