Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. GDP per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. GDP per capita was 31.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita in South Africa is 31.2%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 33.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 2012.
That places South Africa 63rd out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33.0% | — |
| 2001 | 32.4% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 31.7% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 31.1% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 30.5% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 29.8% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 29.1% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 28.4% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 27.2% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 26.7% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 26.5% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 26.4% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 26.5% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 26.6% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 26.9% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 28.0% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 28.5% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 29.0% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 29.7% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 30.4% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 31.2% | +2.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 31.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22.8%, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 31.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.4%, 79% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.1% | 27.2% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 26.4% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 29.0% | 31.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita in South Africa?
- Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita in South Africa was 31.2% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 63rd out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age refers to the combined prevalence of both non-pregnant women with hemoglobin levels below 12 g/dL and pregnant women with hemoglobin levels below 11 g/dL. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.