Kenya vs South Africa: Share of population living in extreme poverty
Kenya
61.0%
in 2018
South Africa
21.0%
in 2018
Kenya rank
2nd
South Africa rank
3rd
Share of population living in extreme poverty over time
- Kenya
- South Africa
How they compare
Kenya currently reports 61.0% against 21.0% in South Africa, a difference of 40.0%.
That makes Kenya's figure about 2.9 times South Africa's.
Across all 21 years both countries report, Kenya has been ahead every year.
Kenya ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 3rd of 25 countries.
Kenya has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 92.0% | 86.0% | 6.0% | Kenya |
| 1830s | 88.0% | 82.0% | 6.0% | Kenya |
| 1840s | 93.0% | 86.0% | 7.0% | Kenya |
| 1850s | 96.0% | 90.0% | 6.0% | Kenya |
| 1860s | 89.0% | 83.0% | 6.0% | Kenya |
| 1870s | 98.0% | 83.0% | 15.0% | Kenya |
| 1880s | 70.0% | 54.0% | 16.0% | Kenya |
| 1890s | 90.0% | 67.0% | 23.0% | Kenya |
| 1900s | 100.0% | 77.0% | 23.0% | Kenya |
| 1910s | 100.0% | 69.0% | 31.0% | Kenya |
| 1920s | 100.0% | 70.0% | 30.0% | Kenya |
| 1930s | 97.0% | 68.0% | 29.0% | Kenya |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 52.0% | 48.0% | Kenya |
| 1950s | 81.0% | 40.0% | 41.0% | Kenya |
| 1960s | 74.0% | 38.0% | 36.0% | Kenya |
| 1970s | 66.0% | 24.0% | 42.0% | Kenya |
| 1980s | 62.0% | 15.0% | 47.0% | Kenya |
| 1990s | 54.0% | 29.0% | 25.0% | Kenya |
| 2000s | 65.0% | 28.0% | 37.0% | Kenya |
| 2010s | 61.0% | 19.5% | 41.5% | Kenya |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in extreme poverty, Kenya or South Africa?
- Kenya, at 61.0% against 21.0% in South Africa as of 2018.
- What is the difference in share of population living in extreme poverty between Kenya and South Africa?
- 40.0%, with Kenya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2018.
- How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Kenya ranks 2nd 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..