Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Africa
South Africa: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 54.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Africa, 1820–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 54.9% for wealth share of the richest 1% 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 of the richest 1% in South Africa peaked at 65.1% in 1920 and was at its lowest, 47.1%, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 59.7% | 59.7% | 59.7% | 1 |
| 1850s | 61.7% | 61.7% | 61.7% | 1 |
| 1880s | 63.3% | 63.3% | 63.3% | 1 |
| 1900s | 64.3% | 64.3% | 64.3% | 1 |
| 1910s | 63.6% | 63.6% | 63.6% | 1 |
| 1920s | 65.1% | 65.1% | 65.1% | 1 |
| 1930s | 64.9% | 64.9% | 64.9% | 1 |
| 1940s | 64.7% | 64.7% | 64.7% | 1 |
| 1950s | 64.6% | 64.6% | 64.6% | 1 |
| 1960s | 64.2% | 64.2% | 64.2% | 1 |
| 1970s | 64.2% | 64.2% | 64.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 48.9% | 48.9% | 48.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.8% | 47.1% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.4% | 48.6% | 52.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.6% | 53.8% | 57.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.8% | 54.7% | 54.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wealth share of the richest 1% in South Africa?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Africa was 54.9% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.1% in 1920.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.1% in 1995.
- How does South Africa rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% 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 World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.