Number of people living in extreme poverty in South Africa
South Africa: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 52.09 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in South Africa, 1993–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 52.09 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2022. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of up 37.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in South Africa peaked at 52.09 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 23.98 million people, in 1993.
South Africa ranks 23rd of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in South Africa, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 23.98 million people | — |
| 2000 | 24.72 million people | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 29.35 million people | +18.7% |
| 2008 | 32.46 million people | +10.6% |
| 2010 | 37.77 million people | +16.4% |
| 2014 | 40.76 million people | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 52.09 million people | +27.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.98 million people | 23.98 million people | 23.98 million people | 1 |
| 2000s | 28.84 million people | 24.72 million people | 32.46 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 39.27 million people | 37.77 million people | 40.76 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 52.09 million people | 52.09 million people | 52.09 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More poverty & inequality data for South Africa
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.22 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,562 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -20.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 28.13 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 28.1% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in South Africa?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in South Africa was 52.09 million people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 52.09 million people in 2022.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.98 million people in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.