South Africa records 23-million people in poverty as educated groups show rise

Poverty fell overall since 2015, but those with higher education saw increases for the first time, Statistics South Africa reported.

About 23-million South Africans, or 37.9% of the population, were living below the lower-bound poverty line of R1,300 per person per month in 2023, according to poverty trends released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday¹. The figure represents a decline from 46.7% in 2015, a reduction of 8.8 percentage points¹.

The data revealed an unusual shift among educated South Africans. Patricia Koka, chief director for poverty and inequality statistics, said poverty had declined across all education levels except among those with higher education²³. The proportion of people with post-matric qualifications living in poverty rose from 6% in 2015 to 7.4% in 2023²³. The share of educated individuals within the broader poverty population also grew, with those holding higher education increasing from 2.1% to 3.9% over the same period². South Africans with matric certificates similarly saw a significant increase within the poverty group².

Poverty levels fell across all age categories between 2015 and 2023, with the largest decline recorded among people aged 65 and older, at 11.9 percentage points¹. Young people under 24 remained heavily affected²³. Chief director for labour statistics Desiree Manamela said South Africa's official unemployment rate stood at 31.4%, though broader measures of labour underutilisation exceeded 40%¹.

Provincially, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga recorded the largest poverty declines¹. Gauteng was the only province to see an increase, rising from 26.3% in 2015 to 26.5% in 2023, though it remained below the national average¹³. Black South Africans comprised 93.6% of those living in poverty, while women made up 53.6%³.