India vs South Africa: Share of population living in extreme poverty
India
9.0%
in 2018
South Africa
21.0%
in 2018
India rank
5th
South Africa rank
3rd
Share of population living in extreme poverty over time
- India
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 21.0% against 9.0% in India, a difference of 12.0%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.3 times India's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1820 it was South Africa ahead.
India ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 3rd of 25 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, India averaged higher in 8 and South Africa in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 65.0% | 86.0% | 21.0% | South Africa |
| 1830s | 65.0% | 82.0% | 17.0% | South Africa |
| 1840s | 65.0% | 86.0% | 21.0% | South Africa |
| 1850s | 65.0% | 90.0% | 25.0% | South Africa |
| 1860s | 67.0% | 83.0% | 16.0% | South Africa |
| 1870s | 70.0% | 83.0% | 13.0% | South Africa |
| 1880s | 68.0% | 54.0% | 14.0% | India |
| 1890s | 63.0% | 67.0% | 4.0% | South Africa |
| 1900s | 61.0% | 77.0% | 16.0% | South Africa |
| 1910s | 51.0% | 69.0% | 18.0% | South Africa |
| 1920s | 57.0% | 70.0% | 13.0% | South Africa |
| 1930s | 48.0% | 68.0% | 20.0% | South Africa |
| 1940s | 53.0% | 52.0% | 1.0% | India |
| 1950s | 61.0% | 40.0% | 21.0% | India |
| 1960s | 66.0% | 38.0% | 28.0% | India |
| 1970s | 67.0% | 24.0% | 43.0% | India |
| 1980s | 49.0% | 15.0% | 34.0% | India |
| 1990s | 47.0% | 29.0% | 18.0% | India |
| 2000s | 32.0% | 28.0% | 4.0% | India |
| 2010s | 16.0% | 19.5% | 3.5% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in extreme poverty, India or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 21.0% against 9.0% in India as of 2018.
- What is the difference in share of population living in extreme poverty between India and South Africa?
- 12.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2018.
- How do India and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in extreme poverty?
- India ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 3rd of 25 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Michalis Moatsos (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population unable to meet basic needs (including minimal nutrition and adequately heated shelter) according to prices of locally-available goods and services at the time..