Costa Rica vs South Africa: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income over time
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 20.4% against 20.0% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 7 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 10th of 123 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.1% | 25.4% | 5.3% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 22.9% | 3.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 22.5% | 3.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 20.4% | 1.7% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, Costa Rica or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 20.4% against 20.0% in Costa Rica as of 2022.
- What is the difference in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income between Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Costa Rica ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 10th 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 Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.