KZN ranked the poorest province in SA

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has been ranked the poorest province, with almost half of its population struggling to get by.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released its revised poverty trends report on Thursday, revealing that at least 23 million people in South Africa are considered poor.

KZN tops the list, followed by the North West, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, which all sit above the national average.

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Stats SAsaid Limpopo, KZN and the Eastern Cape were the poorest provinces in the country consistently since 2006.

Limpopo saw the largest decline in poverty between 2015 and 2023 from 66% to 47,6%.

In 2023, KZN surpassed Limpopo as the province with the greatest number of people living in poverty.

Statistician General Risenga Maluleke said that these rural provinces are also at the top of the list in other challenges.

“And one of the things that we have been seeing with unemployment is that the North West has been continuing to lead beyond the Eastern Cape when it comes to unemployment, so you can see some congruence that we pick up with other products.”

In broader terms, Maluleke said that there’s a simple explanation for why unemployment remains high while poverty declines.

“You don’t have to be working to have income. Those who are not working can get income from grants that government make available. Those are the policy interventions that have assisted.”

Stats SA said the Western Cape has the lowest poverty levels, sitting at more than half of KZN's figures.