Poverty in South Africa has fallen over the past decade, but new national data shows the crisis remains severe — with KwaZulu-Natal and the country’s youth carrying the heaviest burden. Releasing the latest poverty trends on Thursday, Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke warned that despite improvements, millions of South Africans still cannot afford a basic standard of living. Maluleke said that between 2015 and 2023, South Africa recorded a decline in the proportion of people living below the lower-bound poverty line from 46,7% to 37,9%.
He welcomed the decrease, but stressed that the 37,9% represents 23,2 million South Africans who cannot secure an acceptable standard of living. The lower-bound poverty line, set at R1 300 per person per month in 2023 prices, provides for basic nutrition and limited additional essentials. He identified KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, North West and Limpopo as having the highest poverty headcounts.
“Collectively, these provinces were home to nearly 60% of South Africa’s poor in 2023, with KwaZulu-Natal alone accounting for about one in four,” he said. In KZN, 24,8% of the population was recorded as living below the lower-bound poverty line, with eThekwini showing the highest rate among metros at 40,7%. Gauteng also experienced a marked rise in its share of the poor over the same period and now accounts for about 20% of the national total.
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Statistics SA acting deputy director general Solly Molayi said provinces with metropolitan cities had seen increases in lower-bound poverty due to population inflows and rising unemployment. Alongside KZN, younger people were found to be particularly affected. Maluleke said poverty continued to fall disproportionately on those under 35. “Over 71% of the poor in 2023 were under the age of 35, with children aged 0 to 17 comprising 43,1% of all poor individuals,” he said.
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