Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in South Africa
South Africa: Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data was 11.00 million people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data 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
The most recent figure for number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in South Africa is 11.00 million people, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in South Africa peaked at 22.74 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.00 million people, in 2022.
That places South Africa 16th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.32 million people | 19.32 million people | 19.32 million people | 1 |
| 2000s | 20.65 million people | 19.07 million people | 22.74 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 15.17 million people | 14.57 million people | 15.77 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 11.00 million people | 11.00 million people | 11.00 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 13 Philippines 13.25 million people compare
- 14 Ghana 11.65 million people compare
- 15 Indonesia 11.53 million people compare
- 17 Bangladesh 10.01 million people compare
- 18 Burundi 9.40 million people compare
- 19 Burkina Faso 9.40 million people compare
More poverty & inequality data for South Africa
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 28.1% (2022)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.388 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 17.8% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1656 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1656 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.192 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.5993 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in South Africa?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in South Africa was 11.00 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: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 22.74 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.00 million people in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data?
- South Africa ranks 16th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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: September 2024 data vs. latest data. 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 below $3 per day.