Three metrics of inequality in South Africa
South Africa: Three metrics of inequality was 74.65 in 2014. ▲ Rising
Three metrics of inequality in South Africa, 1993–2014
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 74.65 for three metrics of inequality in 2014. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, three metrics of inequality in South Africa peaked at 74.65 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 57.81, in 1993.
That places South Africa 3rd out of 113 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the top 10%.
Three metrics of inequality in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 57.81 | — |
| 2000 | 64.81 | +12.1% |
| 2005 | 67.54 | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 69.67 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 70.94 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 74.65 | +5.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 74.65 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.98, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 74.65 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.71, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.81 | 57.81 | 57.81 | 1 |
| 2000s | 67.34 | 64.81 | 69.67 | 3 |
| 2010s | 72.8 | 70.94 | 74.65 | 2 |
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 three metrics of inequality in South Africa?
- Three metrics of inequality in South Africa was 74.65 in 2014, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest three metrics of inequality recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 74.65 in 2014.
- What is the lowest three metrics of inequality recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.81 in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for three metrics of inequality?
- South Africa ranks 3rd out of 113 countries with data for 2014.
- Is three metrics of inequality rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Three metrics of inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.