South Africa vs United States: Total shortfall from extreme poverty
Total shortfall from extreme poverty over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 3.52 billion international-$ in 2021 prices against 3.06 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in United States, a difference of 465.84 million international-$ in 2021 prices.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1993 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 15th and United States ranks 16th of 120 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.16 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.20 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 7.96 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | South Africa |
| 2000s | 9.26 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 2.39 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 6.87 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | South Africa |
| 2010s | 5.80 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 3.21 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 2.58 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.52 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 3.80 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 274.78 million international-$ in 2021 prices | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total shortfall from extreme poverty, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 3.52 billion international-$ in 2021 prices against 3.06 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in total shortfall from extreme poverty between South Africa and United States?
- 465.84 million international-$ in 2021 prices, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for total shortfall from extreme poverty?
- South Africa ranks 15th and United States ranks 16th of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Total shortfall from extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This is the amount of money that would be theoretically needed to lift the income or consumption of all people in poverty up to $3 per day. However, this is not a measure of the actual cost of eliminating poverty, since it does not take into account the costs involved in making the necessary transfers nor any changes in behavior they would bring about.