Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa
South Africa: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty was 17.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
17.8%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
112th
of 184 countries
All-time high
20.6%
in 2017
All-time low
7.4%
in 1951
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa is 17.8%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa peaked at 20.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1951.
That places South Africa 112th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.6% | — |
| 1951 | 7.4% | -2.1% |
| 1952 | 8.5% | +14.0% |
| 1953 | 8.2% | -3.1% |
| 1954 | 7.7% | -6.7% |
| 1955 | 8.1% | +5.8% |
| 1956 | 8.2% | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 8.2% | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 8.6% | +4.3% |
| 1959 | 8.3% | -2.9% |
| 1960 | 8.2% | -1.4% |
| 1961 | 8.5% | +4.1% |
| 1962 | 9.4% | +10.1% |
| 1963 | 9.1% | -3.5% |
| 1964 | 9.2% | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 9.7% | +5.1% |
| 1966 | 9.9% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 9.8% | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 10.3% | +4.8% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 10.6% | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 11.6% | +8.9% |
| 1972 | 11.3% | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 10.5% | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 10.8% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 12.2% | +12.9% |
| 1976 | 12.8% | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 13.6% | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 13.1% | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 13.1% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 13.0% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 12.8% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 13.4% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 13.4% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 13.9% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 14.5% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 15.2% | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 14.9% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 14.7% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 15.1% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 14.5% | -4.1% |
| 1991 | 14.2% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 14.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 13.6% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | -12.9% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 11.8% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 11.6% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 11.8% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 11.8% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 12.0% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 12.9% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 13.5% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 14.9% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 16.2% | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 17.2% | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18.1% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 20.6% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 19.2% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 17.7% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 17.8% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8.1% | 7.4% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.4% | 8.2% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.0% | 10.5% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.1% | 12.8% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.9% | 11.4% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.1% | 11.8% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.6% | 16.4% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.1% | 17.4% | 19.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 109 Bermuda 18.3% compare
- 110 Macau, China 18.0% compare
- 111 Kazakhstan 17.8% compare
- 113 Mozambique 17.8% compare
- 114 Luxembourg 17.7% compare
- 115 Thailand 17.6% 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 share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in South Africa was 17.8% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1951.
- How does South Africa rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty?
- South Africa ranks 112th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.