Population living in slums in South Africa
South Africa: Population living in slums was 24.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Population living in slums in South Africa, 2000–2022
Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population living in slums in South Africa is 24.2%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population living in slums in South Africa peaked at 27.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 24.2%, in 2018.
That places South Africa 75th out of 174 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Population living in slums in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 27.6% | — |
| 2002 | 27.2% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 26.8% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 26.1% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 25.7% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 25.3% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 24.9% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 24.6% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 24.2% | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 24.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.8%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 24.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 50% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.8% | 26.1% | 27.6% | 5 |
| 2010s | 24.9% | 24.2% | 25.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 24.2% | 24.2% | 24.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 72 Azerbaijan 26.9% compare
- 73 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 25.7% compare
- 74 Lesotho 25.6% compare
- 76 Papua New Guinea 22.3% compare
- 77 Brunei Darussalam 21.6% compare
- 78 Palestine, State of 19.5% 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)
- 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 population living in slums in South Africa?
- Population living in slums in South Africa was 24.2% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
- What is the highest population living in slums recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.2% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for population living in slums?
- South Africa ranks 75th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is population living in slums rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as part of Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.