Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa
South Africa: Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 65.4% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa, 1993–2014
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa is 65.4%, measured in 2014. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa peaked at 65.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 46.4%, in 1993.
That places South Africa 2nd out of 113 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the top 10%.
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 46.4% | — |
| 2000 | 53.6% | +15.6% |
| 2005 | 59.1% | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 60.1% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 61.4% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 65.4% | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.4% | 46.4% | 46.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 53.6% | 60.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 63.4% | 61.4% | 65.4% | 2 |
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 income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa?
- Income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in South Africa was 65.4% in 2014, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.4% in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- South Africa ranks 2nd out of 113 countries with data for 2014.
- Is income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of income received by the richest 10% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.