Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa

South Africa: Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile was 28.2% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
28.2%
Change on year
up 17.4%
World rank
17th
of 36 countries
All-time high
34.7%
in 2019
All-time low
16.7%
in 2005
Years of data
6
2005–2021

Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa, 2005–2021

01020302005201320212005: 16.72016: 29.22018: 172019: 34.72020: 242021: 28.2

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

The most recent figure for poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa is 28.2%, measured in 2021.

The figure is up 17.4% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa peaked at 34.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2005.

That places South Africa 17th out of 36 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile (poorest) -urban in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 16.7%
2016 29.2% +75.2%
2018 17.0% -41.8%
2019 34.7% +104.2%
2020 24.0% -30.9%
2021 28.2% +17.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.7% 16.7% 16.7% 1
2010s 27.0% 17.0% 34.7% 3
2020s 26.1% 24.0% 28.2% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 14 Sri Lanka 36.3% compare
  2. 15 Ecuador 34.8% compare
  3. 16 Malawi 28.7% compare
  4. 18 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 25.4% compare
  5. 19 Côte d'Ivoire 23.7% compare
  6. 20 El Salvador 21.3% compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa?
Poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa was 28.2% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 34.7% in 2019.
What is the lowest poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2005.
How does South Africa rank for poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile?
South Africa ranks 17th out of 36 countries with data for 2021.
Is poverty gap reduction (%) - all private transfers - 1st quintile rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile (poorest) -urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/poverty-gap-reduction-percent-all-private-transfers-1st-quintile-poorest-urban/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Private Transfers - 1st quintile (poorest) -urban
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
36 places, 350 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

Poverty gap reduction due to Private Transfers programs as % of pre-transfer poverty gap