Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in South Africa
South Africa: Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index was 0.476 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for inequality-adjusted human development index in South Africa is 0.476, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality-adjusted human development index in South Africa peaked at 0.477 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.446, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 116th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0.446 | — |
| 2013 | 0.451 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.461 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 0.467 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.463 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.469 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.472 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.477 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.471 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.465 | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 0.472 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 0.476 | +0.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.476 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6405, 74% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.476 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.36, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.4632 | 0.446 | 0.477 | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.471 | 0.465 | 0.476 | 4 |
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 inequality-adjusted human development index in South Africa?
- Inequality-adjusted human development index in South Africa was 0.476 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.477 in 2019.
- What is the lowest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.446 in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for inequality-adjusted human development index?
- South Africa ranks 116th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality-adjusted human development index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living, adjusted for inequalities in these dimensions. Higher values indicate higher and more equal human development.