Poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap in South Africa
South Africa: Poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap was 17.44 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
17.44
Rank
26th
of 120 groups
All-time high
47.91
in 2000
All-time low
17.44
in 2022
Years of data
7
1993–2022
Poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap in South Africa, 1993–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap in South Africa stood at 17.44. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 37.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap in South Africa peaked at 47.91 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.44, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 26th of 120 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.62 | 44.62 | 44.62 | 1 |
| 2000s | 41.87 | 37.01 | 47.91 | 3 |
| 2010s | 27.87 | 27.84 | 27.9 | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.44 | 17.44 | 17.44 | 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)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality 28.13 (2022)
- Gender inequality index from the human development report 0.388 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs share in extreme poverty 17.76 (2023)
- Gini coefficient of lifespan inequality in females 0.1656 (2023)
- Gini coefficient of lifespan inequality by sex 0.1656 (2023)
- Gini coefficient of lifespan inequality in males 0.192 (2023)
- Income inequality atkinson index undp 0.5993 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap in South Africa?
- Poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap in South Africa was 17.44 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 47.91 in 2000.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.44 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 120 groups with data for 2022.
- Is poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty headcount rate vs poverty gap. 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).