Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional in South Africa

South Africa: Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional was 23.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
23.4%
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
20th
of 27 countries
All-time high
25.4%
in 2014
All-time low
23.4%
in 2021
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional in South Africa, 2005–2021

01020302005201320212005: 25.12010: 24.32014: 25.42016: 24.52018: 24.82019: 242020: 23.72021: 23.4

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 23.4% for beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional in South Africa peaked at 25.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2021.

South Africa ranks 20th of 27 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional Cash Transfers -rural in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 25.1%
2010 24.3% -3.4%
2014 25.4% +4.6%
2016 24.5% -3.4%
2018 24.8% +0.9%
2019 24.0% -2.9%
2020 23.7% -1.4%
2021 23.4% -1.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 23.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.8%, 71% of the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 25.1% 25.1% 25.1% 1
2010s 24.6% 24.0% 25.4% 5
2020s 23.5% 23.4% 23.7% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Poland 26.4% compare
  2. 18 Indonesia 24.1% compare
  3. 19 Mongolia 23.7% compare
  4. 21 Russian Federation 22.9% compare
  5. 22 Thailand 21.9% compare
  6. 23 Peru 20.7%

See the full ranking of 27 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional in South Africa?
Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional in South Africa was 23.4% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 25.4% in 2014.
What is the lowest beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2021.
How does South Africa rank for beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 27 countries with data for 2021.
Is beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - unconditional rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional Cash Transfers -rural. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-1st-quintile-poorest-percent-unconditional-cash-transfers-rural/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Beneficiary incidence in 1st quintile (poorest) (%) - Unconditional Cash Transfers -rural
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
27 places, 230 data points, 2004–2022
Last refreshed

Percentage of program beneficiaries in a quintile relative to the total number of beneficiaries in the population