Pakistan vs South Africa: Share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet
Pakistan
60.3%
in 2024
South Africa
61.7%
in 2024
Pakistan rank
31st
South Africa rank
29th
Share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet over time
- Pakistan
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 61.7% against 60.3% in Pakistan, a difference of 1.4%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 8 shared years of data; in 2017 it was South Africa ahead.
Pakistan ranks 31st and South Africa ranks 29th of 150 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Pakistan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 58.2% | 60.4% | 2.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 60.8% | 61.5% | 0.7% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet, Pakistan or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 61.7% against 60.3% in Pakistan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet between Pakistan and South Africa?
- 1.4%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Pakistan and South Africa?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 2017 to 2024.
- How do Pakistan and South Africa rank globally for share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet?
- Pakistan ranks 31st and South Africa ranks 29th of 150 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Bai et al. (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population unable to afford a healthy diet. A diet is considered unaffordable when the diet cost plus expenditures for basic non-food needs exceed income per capita per day.