Indonesia vs South Africa: Number of people living in extreme poverty
Indonesia
11.53 million people
in 2025
South Africa
11.00 million people
in 2022
Indonesia rank
15th
South Africa rank
16th
Number of people living in extreme poverty over time
- Indonesia
- South Africa
How they compare
Indonesia currently reports 11.53 million people against 11.00 million people in South Africa, a difference of 529,900 people.
Across all 7 years both countries report, Indonesia has been ahead every year.
Indonesia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 16th of 120 countries.
Indonesia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Indonesia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 150.78 million people | 19.32 million people | 131.47 million people | Indonesia |
| 2000s | 109.35 million people | 20.65 million people | 88.70 million people | Indonesia |
| 2010s | 75.21 million people | 15.17 million people | 60.04 million people | Indonesia |
| 2020s | 21.90 million people | 11.00 million people | 10.90 million people | Indonesia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in extreme poverty, Indonesia or South Africa?
- Indonesia, at 11.53 million people against 11.00 million people in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between Indonesia and South Africa?
- 529,900 people, with Indonesia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Indonesia and South Africa?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do Indonesia and South Africa rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Indonesia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 16th of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.