Costa Rica vs South Africa: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income
Costa Rica
20.0%
in 2025
South Africa
20.4%
in 2022
Costa Rica rank
10th
South Africa rank
8th
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income over time
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 20.4% against 20.0% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 7 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 8th of 130 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.1% | 25.4% | 5.3% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 22.9% | 3.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 22.5% | 3.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 20.4% | 1.7% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, Costa Rica or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 20.4% against 20.0% in Costa Rica as of 2022.
- What is the difference in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income between Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2022.
- How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 8th of 130 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.