Media Release                                                                                                                                                                     11 December 2025

 Poverty Trends in South Africa: An examination of absolute poverty between 2006 and 2023

Statistics South Africa today publishes its latest findings on money-metric poverty in the country, drawn from the Income & Expenditure Survey (IES) 2022/23. The Poverty Trends in South Africa report reveals a significant decline in poverty rates over the past seventeen years. The proportion of the population living below the lower-bound poverty line (LBPL) – set at R1 300 per person per month (in 2023 prices) – fell to 37,9% in 2023, a reduction of 19,6 percentage points since 2006. This equates to approximately 23,2 million people living in poverty in 2023, roughly 4,1 million fewer poor individuals compared to 2006.

The provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, North West and Limpopo continue to experience the highest poverty headcounts, irrespective of the poverty line applied. Collectively, these provinces where home to nearly 60% of South Africa’s poor in 2023, with KwaZulu-Natal alone accounting for about one in four. Western Cape and Gauteng remain the provinces with the lowest poverty rates in the country. However, Gauteng experienced a notable increase in its share of the poor between 2015 and 2023, and now accounts for about 20% of the country’s poor.

Progress in reducing poverty has been most pronounced among black African and coloured populations. However, the report notes a slight increase in poverty rates among white and Indian/Asian groups between 2015 and 2023; though, their overall poverty share remains very small compared to black Africans who accounted for 93,6% of all poor persons in 2023.

Although poverty rates for males and females have both notably declined since 2006, gender disparities have remained relatively unchanged. Male poverty headcounts are, on average, about four percentage points lower than those of females under the LBPL.  In 2023, females constituted 53,6% of the poor population, while males accounted for 46,4%.

Poverty continues to disproportionately affect younger South Africans, especially children. Over 71% of the poor in 2023 were under the age of 35, with children aged 0 to 17 years comprising 43,1% of all poor individuals. The report further highlights the strong link between education and poverty status: those with lower education levels recorded significantly higher poverty headcounts compared to those with higher levels of education. Notably, about a quarter of poor adults aged 18 and above have completed matric.

Individuals living in large households (six or more members) and those residing in rural areas are more likely to experience poverty than those in smaller households or urban environments. While rural communities accounted for a larger share of the poor between 2006 and 2015, by 2023, urban areas now contain more poor individuals based on the LBPL. This pattern shifts depending on which poverty line is used: rural residents comprise a greater share of the poor under the food poverty line (FPL), but urban dwellers exceed rural numbers based on the upper-bound poverty line (UBPL).

Extreme poverty – defined as living below the country’s food poverty line of R777 per person per month (in 2023 prices) – has also declined. The poverty headcount decreased by 9,8 percentage points from 27,4% in 2006 to 17,6% in 2023. This indicates that approximately 10,8 million people in South Africa remain food poor, roughly 2,2 million fewer people than there were in 2006. Using the upper-bound poverty line – which was set at R2 635 per person per month (in 2023 prices) – we observe that the poverty headcount dropped by 12,0 percentage points from 78,7% in 2006 to 66,7% in 2023.

Between 2015 and 2023, the poverty gap has also declined across all three lines, signifying that poor individuals are, on average, closer to escaping poverty now than in previous years. The poverty gap is another key measurement that helps gauge the extent (or depth) of poverty among the poor; it reflects how far away the poor are from the poverty line. A smaller gap means fewer resources are needed to lift people above that poverty line.

For technical enquires, contact:

Patricia Koka – Email: PatriciaK@statssa.gov.za Cell: 071 680 9545

Werner Ruch – Email: WernerR@statssa.gov.za Cell: 082 906 7957

For media inquiries, contact:

Sivuyile Mangxamba – Email: SivuyileMa@statssa.gov.za Cell: 082 888 2372

Felicia Sithole – Email: FeliciaS@statssa.gov.za Cell: 076 430 0693

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