South Africa, a middle income country, has amongst the most extreme disparities in wealth in the world. Although the extent of poverty depends on the poverty line and methodology employed, analyses by the national statistical office suggests that 52% of households were living in poverty in 1996. While poor maternal and child health, infectious diseases and malnutrition are known to be associated with poverty, there remains a need to investigate the relationship between poverty and chronic diseases and their determinants. This report presents a detailed analysis of mortality data from vital registration in 1996 and chronic disease and risk factor data from the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) conducted in 1998.