New data from Statistics South Africa reveals that at least 23 million people in the country are considered poor. This figure is based on the lower-bound poverty line for 2023.
While the number remains staggeringly high, the revised poverty trends report indicates a decline of roughly 2.5 million people since 2015. StatsSA released this updated report almost eight years after its first major update.
“We can see that the lower bound poverty line is declining. So poverty is declining in South Africa,” a StatsSA representative concluded based on the latest figures.