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.

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.

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

Historical dataset showing Africa poverty rate by year from N/A to N/A.

Historical dataset showing South Africa poverty rate by year from 1993 to 2014.

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 **** percent in 2019. Malawi, Central African Republic, Niger, and Tanzania followed with approximately ****, ****, ****, and **** percent between 2018 and 2021, respectively. The extreme poverty line was set at **** U.S. dollars a day, taking into consideration Purchasing Power Parities (PPP).

Poverty rate at national poverty line of South Africa went up by 4.32% from 53.2 % in 2010 to 55.5 % in 2014. Since the 6.76% drop in 2008, poverty rate at national poverty line dropped by 10.63% in 2014. National poverty rate is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.

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.

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.

This data collection consists of aggregate population data by age and sex (for post-stratification population weighting) derived from a UN Population Division file (referred to in the report attached, under the section on post-stratification population weighting) as well as a detailed report which sets out how indicators of deprivation of basic human needs for water, sanitation, shelter, information, education, health and food were developed and used to form summary indicators of severe deprivation and absolute poverty. The report also provides information on how post-stratification population weights were derived to modify the sample weights to make samples more representative of the population as a whole. The data used for this project are from the Demographic and Health Surveys and UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (see Related Resources).This project will use high quality, nationally representative, individual level data from over 140 household surveys conducted between 1990 and 2015 in 40 sub-Saharan African countries, to produce national, sub-regional and regional estimates of absolute poverty for the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Age appropriate and gender relevant indicators of severe deprivation of basic human needs will be operationalised, and an internationally recognised peer reviewed methodology (the ‘Bristol Approach’) used to show how poverty is patterned across Africa, and how it has changed over 20 years. It will show if rural populations have been left behind as urban areas develop, or if with increased rural to urban migration, poverty in Africa has evolved into a primarily urban problem. It will address important issues about gender and geographic disparities in poverty, which until recently have only been assessed in monetary terms. The application of the Bristol Approach, to reflect non-monetary dimensions of poverty, will reveal a more meaningful picture of poverty in Africa and how it has changed over time. Links will be developed with researchers across Africa, including academics at the Universities of Cape Town and the Western Cape.

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.

In 2019, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Africa was projected at *** 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 *** million, compared to ** million in the other regions of the world.

The West Africa Coastal Vulnerability Mapping: Gridded Subset of Sub-national Poverty and Extreme Poverty Prevalence represents the HarvestChoice Subnational Poverty and Extreme Poverty Prevalence data set as a one kilometer raster, and includes values within 200 kilometers of the coast. Poverty levels affect the "defenselessness" of populations in the low elevation coastal zone. These data were developed by the Harvest Choice project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Harvest Choice measured 2005 poverty levels using 2005 purchasing power parity data for two thresholds: $1.25/day and $2/day international poverty lines. The $2/day threshold was selected for this mapping exercise. To provide poverty levels in the coastal zone of West Africa.

31.20 (%) in 2014. Population below $1.9 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.9 a day at 2005 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.

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.

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

  Employed population below international poverty line (%)





  Dataset Description

This dataset provides country-level data for the indicator "1.1.1 Employed 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… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/electricsheepafrica/employed-population-below-international-poverty-line-for-african-countries.

Number of poor at $1.9 a day of South Africa rocketed by 25.30% from 8.3 million persons in 2010 to 10.4 million persons in 2014. Since the 30.89% drop in 2008, number of poor at $1.9 a day shot up by 22.35% in 2014. Number of people, in millions, living on less than $1.90 a day at 2011 PPP is calculated by multiplying the poverty rate and the population. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Ghana’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which complements the monetary poverty by providing an assessment of deprivation of basic survival needs.

Historical dataset showing Central African Republic poverty rate by year from 1992 to 2021.

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.