South Africa vs United States: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day
South Africa
0.8%
in 2022
United States
0.8%
in 2024
South Africa rank
19th
United States rank
22nd
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.8% against 0.8% in United States, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1993 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 19th and United States ranks 22nd of 120 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.4% | 0.4% | 6.0% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6.2% | 0.8% | 5.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 0.9% | 1.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.2% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 0.8% against 0.8% in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day between South Africa and United States?
- 0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day?
- South Africa ranks 19th and United States ranks 22nd of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $1 per day.