Distribution of population poverty thresholds in South Africa
South Africa: Distribution of population poverty thresholds was 21.40 million in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
21.40 million
World rank
29th
of 120 countries
All-time high
21.40 million
in 2022
All-time low
8.28 million
in 2000
Years of data
7
1993–2022
Distribution of population poverty thresholds in South Africa, 1993–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 21.40 million for distribution of population poverty thresholds in 2022. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 37.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population poverty thresholds in South Africa peaked at 21.40 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8.28 million, in 2000.
That places South Africa 29th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Distribution of population poverty thresholds in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 8.84 million | — |
| 2000 | 8.28 million | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 10.78 million | +30.1% |
| 2008 | 13.00 million | +20.6% |
| 2010 | 15.55 million | +19.6% |
| 2014 | 16.60 million | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 21.40 million | +28.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.84 million | 8.84 million | 8.84 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.69 million | 8.28 million | 13.00 million | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.08 million | 15.55 million | 16.60 million | 2 |
| 2020s | 21.40 million | 21.40 million | 21.40 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More poverty & inequality data for South Africa
- Data deprivation poverty surveys per decade 1 (2025)
- Fertility rate vs the share living in extreme poverty 2.22 (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty 4,562 (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 revenues vs income inequality 28.13 (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 0.8444 % change on previous year (2022)
- Gender inequality index from the human development report 0.388 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population poverty thresholds in South Africa?
- Distribution of population poverty thresholds in South Africa was 21.40 million in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population poverty thresholds recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 21.40 million in 2022.
- What is the lowest distribution of population poverty thresholds recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.28 million in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for distribution of population poverty thresholds?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is distribution of population poverty thresholds rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population poverty thresholds. 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).