Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in South Africa
South Africa: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 16.4% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in South Africa, 1993–2014
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 16.4% for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in 2014. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Africa peaked at 16.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1993.
South Africa ranks 31st of 109 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 9.4% | — |
| 2000 | 14.0% | +49.1% |
| 2005 | 15.6% | +11.4% |
| 2008 | 16.0% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 16.0% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 16.4% | +2.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 16.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.1%, 1.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 16.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.8%, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.4% | 9.4% | 9.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 15.2% | 14.0% | 16.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 16.0% | 16.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Africa?
- Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Africa was 16.4% 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 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
- South Africa ranks 31st out of 109 countries with data for 2014.
- Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. 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 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. 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 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.