Wealth share richest in South Africa
South Africa: Wealth share richest was 54.91 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
54.91
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
1st
of 215 countries
All-time high
65.1
in 1920
All-time low
47.08
in 1995
Years of data
56
1820–2024
Wealth share richest in South Africa, 1820–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 54.91 for wealth share richest in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share richest in South Africa peaked at 65.1 in 1920 and was at its lowest, 47.08, in 1995.
That places South Africa 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Wealth share richest in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 59.7 | — |
| 1850 | 61.67 | +3.3% |
| 1880 | 63.3 | +2.6% |
| 1900 | 64.35 | +1.7% |
| 1910 | 63.56 | -1.2% |
| 1920 | 65.1 | +2.4% |
| 1930 | 64.94 | -0.2% |
| 1940 | 64.67 | -0.4% |
| 1950 | 64.64 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 64.18 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 64.2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 48.86 | -23.9% |
| 1981 | 48.87 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 48.86 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 48.87 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 48.87 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 48.86 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 48.85 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 48.87 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 48.87 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 48.85 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 48.86 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 50.35 | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 49.92 | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 48.24 | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 49.31 | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 47.08 | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 48.41 | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 47.88 | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 47.67 | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 50.37 | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 49.19 | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 50.22 | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 49.51 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 49.73 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 48.63 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 50.7 | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 51.72 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 51.5 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 49.63 | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 52.84 | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 57.29 | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 57.58 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 57.24 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 56.26 | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 54.8 | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 55.04 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 53.77 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 54.73 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 54.71 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 54.72 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 54.73 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 54.72 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 54.72 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 54.73 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 54.91 | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 54.91 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 27.19, 2.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 54.91 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.26, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 59.7 | 59.7 | 59.7 | 1 |
| 1850s | 61.67 | 61.67 | 61.67 | 1 |
| 1880s | 63.3 | 63.3 | 63.3 | 1 |
| 1900s | 64.35 | 64.35 | 64.35 | 1 |
| 1910s | 63.56 | 63.56 | 63.56 | 1 |
| 1920s | 65.1 | 65.1 | 65.1 | 1 |
| 1930s | 64.94 | 64.94 | 64.94 | 1 |
| 1940s | 64.67 | 64.67 | 64.67 | 1 |
| 1950s | 64.64 | 64.64 | 64.64 | 1 |
| 1960s | 64.18 | 64.18 | 64.18 | 1 |
| 1970s | 64.2 | 64.2 | 64.2 | 1 |
| 1980s | 48.86 | 48.85 | 48.87 | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.81 | 47.08 | 50.37 | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.37 | 48.63 | 52.84 | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.61 | 53.77 | 57.58 | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.76 | 54.72 | 54.91 | 5 |
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 wealth share richest in South Africa?
- Wealth share richest in South Africa was 54.91 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share richest recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.1 in 1920.
- What is the lowest wealth share richest recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.08 in 1995.
- How does South Africa rank for wealth share richest?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share richest rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share richest. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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