23% of South Africans depend on social grants — report

23% of households in South Africa depend on social grants as their main source of income, says a government agency in a new report.

Stats SA General Household Survey in the report released on Thursday showed there was an increase in the number of social grant dependents by 20% from 2019.

The agency added that the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant contributed to the increase in social grant dependence.

Stats SA also shared that 83% of households in metropolitan areas lived in formal dwellings, and 16% of these households lived in informal settings.

Salaries, wages, commissions

“We are saying that slightly more than 4/5, that is, 83.5% of South African households, lived in formal dwellings as of 2023," said South Africa’s Statistician-General, Risenga Maluleke.

The survey also shows that 54.8% of households survive on salaries, wages, and commissions. That’s an improvement from the 50.8% recorded in 2020.

Maluleke adds, “Households that considered their main source of income, increased sharply in 2020. Mainly due to a larger intake of COVID-19 social relief distress grants.”

The survey also shows a slight drop in people covered by medical aid schemes between 2002 and 2023.