Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index was 66.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in South Africa, 1993–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in South Africa stood at 66.1%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in South Africa peaked at 82.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 66.1%, in 2022.
That places South Africa 37th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 79.6% | — |
| 2000 | 82.6% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 78.2% | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 74.8% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 70.3% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 70.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 66.1% | -6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 79.6% | 79.6% | 79.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 78.5% | 74.8% | 82.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 70.5% | 70.3% | 70.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 66.1% | 66.1% | 66.1% | 1 |
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 share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in South Africa?
- Share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in South Africa was 66.1% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 82.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.1% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index?
- South Africa ranks 37th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. 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 Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index. 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
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $10 per day.