Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st in South Africa

South Africa: Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st was 13.5% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
13.5%
Change on year
up 34.2%
World rank
33rd
of 36 countries
All-time high
62.9%
in 2014
All-time low
10.0%
in 2020
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st in South Africa, 2005–2021

2040602005201320212005: 60.12010: 52.62014: 62.92016: 15.12018: 10.12019: 19.12020: 102021: 13.5

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

In 2021, poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st in South Africa stood at 13.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 34.2% on the previous year and down 74.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st in South Africa peaked at 62.9% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2020.

That places South Africa 33rd out of 36 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st quintile (poorest) -urban in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 60.1%
2010 52.6% -12.5%
2014 62.9% +19.6%
2016 15.1% -76.0%
2018 10.1% -33.1%
2019 19.1% +89.4%
2020 10.0% -47.5%
2021 13.5% +34.2%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 13.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 49.9%, 27% of the median. (24 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 60.1% 60.1% 60.1% 1
2010s 32.0% 10.1% 62.9% 5
2020s 11.7% 10.0% 13.5% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 30 Peru 19.9% compare
  2. 31 Paraguay 16.9% compare
  3. 32 El Salvador 15.6% compare
  4. 34 Colombia 12.6% compare
  5. 35 Cote d'Ivoire 8.6% compare
  6. 36 Honduras 5.1% compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st in South Africa?
Poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st in South Africa was 13.5% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 62.9% in 2014.
What is the lowest poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st?
South Africa ranks 33rd out of 36 countries with data for 2021.
Is poverty gap reduction (%) - all social protection and labor - 1st rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 74.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st quintile (poorest) -urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/poverty-gap-reduction-percent-all-social-protection-and-labor-1st-quintile-poorest-urban/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Poverty Gap reduction (%) - All Social Protection and Labor - 1st quintile (poorest) -urban
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
36 places, 367 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

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