The most economically unequal country in the world, South Africa is plagued by alarming income disparities. Its Gini income index score, which was last recorded in 2018, is sky-high at 67.0. The top 1% of earners share 19.3% of the national income and the top 10% hog 65.4%, while the bottom 50% hold just 5.8%.

South Africa's income inequality is rooted in the racist apartheid system, which ended in the early 1990s. Subsequent governments have failed to address income distribution effectively, exacerbating the gap between the haves and have-nots. The white minority continues to earn significantly more than the Black majority, with the average income of white households a whopping five times higher than that of their Black counterparts, according to recent statistics.

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Revealed: the income gap in 39 countries worldwide