In 2025, nearly 11.7 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. Moreover, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 11.7 percent of the global population in extreme poverty. Other African nations with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Poverty levels remain high despite the forecast decline Poverty is a widespread issue across Africa. Around 429 million people on the continent were living below the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2024. Since the continent had approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants, roughly a third of Africa’s population was in extreme poverty that year. Mozambique, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Niger had Africa’s highest extreme poverty rates based on the 2.15 U.S. dollars per day extreme poverty indicator (updated from 1.90 U.S. dollars in September 2022). Although the levels of poverty on the continent are forecast to decrease in the coming years, Africa will remain the poorest region compared to the rest of the world. Prevalence of poverty and malnutrition across Africa Multiple factors are linked to increased poverty. Regions with critical situations of employment, education, health, nutrition, war, and conflict usually have larger poor populations. Consequently, poverty tends to be more prevalent in least-developed and developing countries worldwide. For similar reasons, rural households also face higher poverty levels. In 2024, the extreme poverty rate in Africa stood at around 45 percent among the rural population, compared to seven percent in urban areas. Together with poverty, malnutrition is also widespread in Africa. Limited access to food leads to low health conditions, increasing the poverty risk. At the same time, poverty can determine inadequate nutrition. Almost 38.3 percent of the global undernourished population lived in Africa in 2022.

In 2025, around ***** million people in Africa were living in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at **** U.S. dollars a day. The number of poor people on the continent dropped slightly compared to the previous year. Poverty in Africa is expected to decline slightly in the coming years, even in the face of a growing population. The number of inhabitants living below the extreme poverty line would decrease to around *** million by 2030.

Extreme poverty in Africa is prevalent in rural areas. In 2024, 46 percent of the continent's rural population was living with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day. On the other hand, extreme poverty concerns only seven percent of the urban population.

World Bank has a Poverty and Inequality Platform where country data can be downloaded for Poverty, Inequality and Multi-dimensional Poverty. The link https://pip.worldbank.org/country-profiles will take you to the Country Poverty Profile and from this page you can select any country and choose between one of three the Poverty Lines: $1.9, $3.2 or $5.5 (at 2011 international prices) and that Poverty Profile will be called up. Then you can select the Poverty, Inequality and Multi-dimensional Poverty data that you want to download. The Reporting Years are: 2000, 2008 and 2018.

South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 55.500 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 53.200 % for 2010. South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 58.800 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2014, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.600 % in 2005 and a record low of 53.200 % in 2010. South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

Africa poverty rate for was 0.00%, a 0% increase from .

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Africa poverty rate for was <strong>0.00%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
<li>Africa poverty rate for was <strong>0.00%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
<li>Africa poverty rate for was <strong>0.00%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
</ul>Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Considering the latest available data, Mozambique had the highest share of the population living in extreme poverty among the selected African countries, corresponding to around 74.4 percent in 2019. Malawi, Central African Republic, Niger, and Tanzania followed with approximately 70.1, 65.7, 50.6, and 44.9 percent between 2018 and 2021, respectively. The extreme poverty line was set at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, taking into consideration Purchasing Power Parities (PPP).

South Africa poverty rate for 2014 was 66.20%, a 0.4% increase from 2010.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>South Africa poverty rate for 2010 was <strong>65.80%</strong>, a <strong>1.3% decline</strong> from 2008.</li>
<li>South Africa poverty rate for 2008 was <strong>67.10%</strong>, a <strong>8.4% decline</strong> from 2005.</li>
<li>South Africa poverty rate for 2005 was <strong>75.50%</strong>, a <strong>3% decline</strong> from 2000.</li>
</ul>Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Historical chart and dataset showing Sub-Saharan Africa poverty rate by year from 1990 to 2019.

South Africa: Poverty, percent of population: The latest value from 2014 is 55.5 percent, an increase from 53.2 percent in 2010. In comparison, the world average is 25.08 percent, based on data from 48 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 2005 to 2014 is 59.35 percent. The minimum value, 53.2 percent, was reached in 2010 while the maximum of 66.6 percent was recorded in 2005.

In 2019, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Africa was projected at 422 million. Compared to the rest of the world, the amount was considerably higher. Although the levels of poverty on the African continent were expected to decrease in the following years, the gap between Africa and the rest of the world would become increasingly wider. By 2030, extremely poor people on the continent would reach 374 million, compared to 55 million in the other regions of the world.

The purpose of this dataset is to provide village-level wealth estimates for places where up-to-date information about geographic wealth distribution is needed. This dataset contains information on buildings, roads, points of interest (POIs), night-time luminosity, population density, and estimated wealth index for 1-mi² inhabited places identified by the underlying datasets. The wealth level is an estimated value of the International Wealth Index which is a comparable asset based wealth index covering the complete developing world.

As of 2024, around **** million people in South Africa are living in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at **** U.S. dollars daily. This means that ******* more people were pushed into poverty compared to 2023. Moreover, the headcount was forecast to increase in the coming years. By 2030, over **** million South Africans will live on a maximum of **** U.S. dollars per day. Who is considered poor domestically? Poverty is measured using several matrices. For example, local authorities tend to rely on the national poverty line, assessed based on consumer price indices (CPI) of a basket of goods of food and non-food components. In 2023, the domestic poverty line in South Africa stood at ***** South African rand per month (around ***** U.S. dollars per month). According to a survey, social inequality and poverty worried a significant share of the South African respondents. As of September 2024, some ** percent of the respondents reported that they were worried about the state of poverty and unequal income distribution in the country.   Eastern Cape residents received more grants South Africa’s labor market has struggled to absorb the country’s population. In 2023, almost a third of the economically active population was unemployed. Local authorities employ relief assistance and social grants in an attempt to reduce poverty and assist poor individuals. In 2023, almost ** percent of South African households received state support, with the majority share benefiting in the Eastern Cape.

Poverty in a Rising Africa, the first of two upcoming reports on poverty in Africa, documents the data challenges facing the region and reviews the status of Africa’s poverty and inequality, both monetary and nonmonetary, taking these data challenges into account.

South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 37.600 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 35.800 % for 2010. South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 47.800 % from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2014, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53.900 % in 1996 and a record low of 35.800 % in 2010. South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Seven in ten Africans in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe are considered extremely officially poor living on less than $1.90 per day. When it comes to measuring monetary poverty, the US$1.90 benchmark is used to assess how well people are doing relative to the basic needs in the world’s poorest countries.

Central African Republic Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 65.700 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.900 % for 2008. Central African Republic Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 65.700 % from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2021, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 82.200 % in 1992 and a record low of 61.900 % in 2008. Central African Republic Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Central African Republic – Table CF.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2017 U.S. dollars and defined as max($2.15, $1.15 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $2.15. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

license: apache-2.0 tags: - africa - sustainable-development-goals - world-health-organization - development

  Population below international poverty line (%)





  Dataset Description

This dataset provides country-level data for the indicator "1.1.1 Population below international poverty line (%)" across African nations, sourced from the World Health Organization's (WHO) data portal on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The data is presented in a wide format… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/electricsheepafrica/population-below-international-poverty-line-for-african-countries.

license: apache-2.0 tags: - africa - sustainable-development-goals - world-health-organization - development

  Employed population below international poverty line (%) - Female





  Dataset Description

This dataset provides country-level data for the indicator "1.1.1 Employed population below international poverty line (%) - Female" across African nations, sourced from the World Health Organization's (WHO) data portal on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The data… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/electricsheepafrica/employed-population-below-international-poverty-line-female-for-african-countries.

South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 18.900 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.500 % for 2010. South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 25.000 % from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2014, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.800 % in 1996 and a record low of 16.500 % in 2010. South Africa ZA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.90 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.