- Society
Poverty in Africa is widespread and high in various areas of the continent. In 2019, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) had the highest share of people living under the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars per day, with a share of 35.1 percent. The closest region was South Asia, with a significantly lower share of 8.5 percent of the individuals living there. Although this was dropping compared to the early and mid-1990s, it was falling slower than the rest of the regions. In fact, the global share living under extreme poverty dropped to 8.4 percent, significantly lower compared to the share in SSA as of the same year, driven by drops in other regions. Furthermore, out of the 20 countries with the most considerable income inequality worldwide, more than half of them (12 countries) were in Africa.
Monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty
Poverty is measured using different indices. On the global scale, monetary extreme poverty is set at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in terms of Purchasing Power Parities (PPP), revised from previously 1.90 U.S. dollars daily in September 2022. The World Bank announced the change as a result of international increases in prices following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. In Africa, Mozambique and Malawi had a substantial population living under the extreme poverty line, with over 70 percent of their people living in extreme poverty. On a national level, governments rely on the national poverty line, which is evaluated depending on a basket of goods with food and non-food goods and its consumer price indices (CPI).
Although monetary poverty deprives individuals of other social factors, including basic infrastructure and education, it does not reveal the whole story of poverty. Multidimensional poverty is another measure that takes into consideration several factors. Globally, SSA also had significantly higher multidimensional poverty levels worldwide, with a score of 0.29 as of 2021. Moreover, Eswatini, Niger, and Chad topped the African continent in multidimensional poverty.
Food security, undernourishment, and access to water and electricity
The most food-secure country on the African continent is in North Africa, namely Morocco, with a score of 63 points in 2022. South Africa ranks second, with a score of 61.7 points. On the other hand, Burundi, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone are the least food-secure countries in SSA. Moreover, Central and Eastern Africa have a high prevalence of undernourishment among their populations. Both regions registered shares close to 30 percent of their people facing undernourishment, almost 10 percent higher than the continental average.
Regarding clean water, the whole population in Mauritius had access to safe, drinkable water, while Botswana and South Africa had rates of over 90 percent as of 2020. Furthermore, African countries had problems providing their populations with access to electricity. For instance, in East Africa, just over 50 percent of the people had electricity access, with North Africa being the only region with rates as high as 98 percent.
Inequality and wealth
One of the issues exacerbating poverty in Africa is the extreme inequality and wealth distribution among African countries. Indeed, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia had the highest income inequality in the world, with a Gini coefficient of nearly 63, 59, and 58 points, respectively. Moreover, the richest 10 percent in Africa held over 71 percent of the wealth on the continent, while the poorest 50 percent held only around 1.2 percent. In addition, certain countries concentrated private wealth in Africa. South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria had more high net worth individuals, at 37,800, 16,100, and 9,800 people, respectively.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Saifaddin Galal Research Expert North Africa
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- Nigeria
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Extreme poverty as share of global population in Africa 2024, by country
- Food insecure people in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 441m
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Food-insecure people by region worldwide 2011-2022
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- Premium Statistic Most worrying topics worldwide 2024
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- Premium Statistic Share of world population living in poverty 1990-2019
Share of world population living in poverty 1990-2019
Share of the world's population living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day from 1990 to 2019 (in 2017 PPP)
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Poverty rate worldwide 1990-2019, by region
Share of people living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars worldwide from 1990 to 2019, by region (in 2017 PPP)
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Extreme poverty as share of global population in Africa 2024, by country
African countries with the highest share of global population living below the extreme poverty line in 2024
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20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide in 2023, based on the Gini index
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Distribution of wealth worldwide in 2022, by region
Poverty indicators
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- Premium Statistic Extreme poverty headcount ratio in Africa 2021, by country
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Extreme poverty headcount ratio in Africa 2021, by country
Share of population living in extreme poverty in Africa as of 2021, by country
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Extreme poverty headcount ratio in Africa 2018-2024, by area of residence
Share of population living in extreme poverty in Africa from 2018 to 2024, by area of residence
- Premium Statistic Countries with the highest poverty gaps worldwide at 3.65 U.S. dollars a day 2019
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Multidimensional Poverty Index score worldwide in 2022, by region
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Food security
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Food security
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- Premium Statistic Severe food insecurity in African sub-regions 2014-2022
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Food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa 2015-2020, by level
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Undernourishment
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- Premium Statistic Africa's share of the global undernourished population 2000-2022
- Premium Statistic Number of people undernourished in Africa 2000-2030, by sub-region
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Africa's share of the global undernourished population 2000-2022
Share of Africa in global undernourished population from 2000 to 2022
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Number of people undernourished in Africa 2000-2030, by sub-region
Number of people undernourished in Africa from 2000 to 2030, by sub-region (in millions)
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Share of undernourished population in Africa 2022, by region
Prevalence of undernourishment in Africa in 2022, by region
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Undernourishment in Northern African countries 2004-2022
Prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in Northern Africa from 2004 to 2022, by country
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Prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in Eastern Africa from 2004 to 2022, by country
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Undernourishment in Southern African countries 2004-2022
Prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in Southern Africa from 2004 to 2022, by country
Access to water and electricity
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- Premium Statistic Access to safely managed water in Africa 2020, by country
- Premium Statistic Share of population with electricity access in Africa 2020, by region
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Access to safely managed water in Africa 2020, by country
Ranking of the population share having access to safely managed drinking water in Africa by country 2020
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Share of population with electricity access in Africa 2020, by region
Share of population with electricity access in Africa as of 2020, by region
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African population without electricity 2000-2021
Population without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2021 (in millions)
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Access to the electric grid in Africa 2021-2023, by country
Access to the electric grid in Africa in 2021/2023, by country
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Total consumer spending on housing, water and electricity in Africa 2014-2029
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Inequality
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- Premium Statistic Gini index in MENA 2020, by country
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Gender inequality index in Africa in 2021, by country
Gender inequality index (GII) in Africa in 2021, by country
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Female child labor in Africa 2021, by age
Percentage of working girls aged under 17 years in Africa as of 2021, by age
- Premium Statistic Africa wealth distribution 2021, by region
Africa wealth distribution 2021, by region
Distribution of wealth Africa in 2021, by region
Wealth
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- Premium Statistic Private investable wealth in Africa 2011-2023
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- Premium Statistic Private investable wealth in Africa 2011-2023
Private investable wealth in Africa 2011-2023
Total private investable wealth in Africa from 2011 to 2023 (in trillion U.S. dollars)
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Wealthiest countries in Africa 2021
Total private wealth in Africa as of 2021, by country (in billion U.S. dollars)
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Wealth per capita in Africa 2021, by country
Private wealth per capita in Africa as 2021, by country (in U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Wealth growth in African countries 2011-2021
Wealth growth in African countries 2011-2021
Growth of total private wealth held in Africa between 2011 and 2021, by country
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Wealthiest cities in Africa 2021
Total private wealth in major cities in Africa as of 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)
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Number of millionaires in Africa 2011-2023
Number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in Africa from 2011 to 2023 (in 1,000s)
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African countries with the most millionaires 2023
Number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in Africa as of 2023, by country
- Premium Statistic Number of millionaires and billionaires in Africa 2023
Number of millionaires and billionaires in Africa 2023
Number of millionaires and billionaires in Africa as 2023, by wealth tier
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Richest people in Africa 2023
Billionaires in Africa as of 2023 (net worth in billion U.S. dollars)