Nigeria vs South Africa: Share of population living in extreme poverty
Nigeria
62.0%
in 2018
South Africa
21.0%
in 2018
Nigeria rank
1st
South Africa rank
3rd
Share of population living in extreme poverty over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 62.0% against 21.0% in South Africa, a difference of 41.0%.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 3.0 times South Africa's.
Across all 21 years both countries report, Nigeria has been ahead every year.
Nigeria ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 3rd of 25 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 92.0% | 86.0% | 6.0% | Nigeria |
| 1830s | 88.0% | 82.0% | 6.0% | Nigeria |
| 1840s | 93.0% | 86.0% | 7.0% | Nigeria |
| 1850s | 96.0% | 90.0% | 6.0% | Nigeria |
| 1860s | 89.0% | 83.0% | 6.0% | Nigeria |
| 1870s | 98.0% | 83.0% | 15.0% | Nigeria |
| 1880s | 70.0% | 54.0% | 16.0% | Nigeria |
| 1890s | 90.0% | 67.0% | 23.0% | Nigeria |
| 1900s | 100.0% | 77.0% | 23.0% | Nigeria |
| 1910s | 100.0% | 69.0% | 31.0% | Nigeria |
| 1920s | 100.0% | 70.0% | 30.0% | Nigeria |
| 1930s | 97.0% | 68.0% | 29.0% | Nigeria |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 52.0% | 48.0% | Nigeria |
| 1950s | 99.0% | 40.0% | 59.0% | Nigeria |
| 1960s | 94.0% | 38.0% | 56.0% | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 94.0% | 24.0% | 70.0% | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 95.0% | 15.0% | 80.0% | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 72.0% | 29.0% | 43.0% | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 71.0% | 28.0% | 43.0% | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 63.0% | 19.5% | 43.5% | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in extreme poverty, Nigeria or South Africa?
- Nigeria, at 62.0% against 21.0% in South Africa as of 2018.
- What is the difference in share of population living in extreme poverty between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 41.0%, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2018.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Nigeria ranks 1st 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..