The province where 25% of poor South Africans live

One in every four poor people in South Africa resides in KwaZulu-Natal, which, alongside the Eastern Cape, North West and Limpopo, are home to almost 60% of the country’s poor.

In contrast, the Western Cape and Gauteng remain the provinces with the lowest poverty rates in the country.

This is according to a report from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), which recently provided an overview of poverty trends in South Africa between 2006 and 2023.

These trends were gleaned from Stats SA’s Income & Expenditure Survey (IES), which showed a notable decline in poverty rates over the past 17 years.

Stats SA found that the proportion of the population living below the lower-bound poverty line (LBPL) – R1,300 per person per month in 2023 prices – fell to 37.9% in 2023.

This marks a notable reduction of 19.6 percentage points since 2006, when the figure stood at 57.5%. 

“This equates to approximately 23.2 million people living in poverty in 2023, roughly 4.1 million fewer poor individuals compared to 2006,” Stats SA explained.

The agency’s data also showed notable regional trends, as the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, North West, and Limpopo continued to experience the highest poverty headcounts, irrespective of the poverty line applied. 

These four provinces were home to nearly 60% of South Africa’s poor in 2023, with KwaZulu-Natal alone accounting for about one in four. 

Stats SA further found that the Western Cape and Gauteng remain the provinces with the lowest poverty rates in the country. 

However, the agency pointed out that Gauteng experienced a notable increase in its share of the poor between 2015 and 2023, now accounting for about 20% of the country’s poor.

Stats SA explained that individuals living in large households containing 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,” the agency said. 

It should be noted that his pattern shifts depending on which poverty line is used.

While rural residents comprise a greater share of the poor under the food poverty line (FPL), urban dwellers exceed rural numbers based on the upper-bound poverty line (UBPL).

More poverty trends in South Africa

When considering extreme poverty, which is defined as living below the country’s food poverty line of R777 per person per month in 2023 prices, Stats SA found that this has also declined over the past 17 years. 

The poverty headcount decreased from 27.4% in 2006 to 17.6% in 2023, indicating that while around 10.8 million people in South Africa remain food poor, this is roughly 2.2 million fewer people than in 2006. 

Considering the upper-bound poverty line, which was set at R2,635 per person per month in 2023 prices, Stats SA reported a decline in the poverty headcount 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,” Stats SA said. 

“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.”

The agency explained that a smaller gap means fewer resources are needed to lift people above the poverty line.

Stats SA also found that poverty trends varied significantly between racial groups, age, gender and education levels.

For example, poverty continues to affect younger South Africans, especially children, disproportionately. 

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.