Americas vs South Africa: Proportion of population below international poverty line
Americas
3.1%
in 2024
South Africa
17.4%
in 2022
Americas rank
27th
South Africa rank
29th
Proportion of population below international poverty line over time
- Americas
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 17.4% against 3.1% in Americas, a difference of 14.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 5.6 times Americas's.
Across all 7 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Americas ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 29th of 42 groups.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Americas | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.7% | 44.6% | 31.9% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 9.1% | 41.9% | 32.7% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 27.9% | 22.8% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 17.4% | 13.7% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of population below international poverty line, Americas or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 17.4% against 3.1% in Americas as of 2022.
- What is the difference in proportion of population below international poverty line between Americas and South Africa?
- 14.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Americas and South Africa?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do Americas and South Africa rank globally for proportion of population below international poverty line?
- Americas ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 29th of 42 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Proportion of population below international poverty line (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.