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.
Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 59.7% | — |
| 1850 | 61.7% | +3.3% |
| 1880 | 63.3% | +2.6% |
| 1900 | 64.3% | +1.7% |
| 1910 | 63.6% | -1.2% |
| 1920 | 65.1% | +2.4% |
| 1930 | 64.9% | -0.2% |
| 1940 | 64.7% | -0.4% |
| 1950 | 64.6% | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 64.2% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 64.2% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 48.9% | -23.9% |
| 1981 | 48.9% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 48.9% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 48.9% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 48.9% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 48.9% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 48.9% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 48.9% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 48.9% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 48.9% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 48.9% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 50.4% | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 49.9% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 48.2% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 49.3% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 47.1% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 48.4% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 47.9% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 47.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 50.4% | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 49.2% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 50.2% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 49.5% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 49.7% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 48.6% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 50.7% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 51.7% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 51.5% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 49.6% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 52.8% | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 57.3% | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 57.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 57.2% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 56.3% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 54.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 55.0% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 53.8% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 54.7% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 54.7% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 54.7% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 54.9% | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 54.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 27.2%, 2.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 54.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.3%, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 59.7% | 59.7% | 59.7% | 1 |
| 1850s | 61.7% | 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
- 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 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
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.