Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and in South Africa

South Africa: Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and was 24.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
24.5%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
2nd
of 39 countries
All-time high
27.2%
in 2005
All-time low
22.7%
in 2019
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and in South Africa, 2005–2021

01020302005201320212005: 27.22010: 25.52014: 23.32016: 24.32018: 24.62019: 22.72020: 23.92021: 24.5

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 24.5% for beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and in South Africa peaked at 27.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 22.7%, in 2019.

That places South Africa 2nd out of 39 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and Labor in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 27.2%
2010 25.5% -6.1%
2014 23.3% -8.7%
2016 24.3% +4.3%
2018 24.6% +1.1%
2019 22.7% -7.9%
2020 23.9% +5.3%
2021 24.5% +2.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 24.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.8%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 27.2% 27.2% 27.2% 1
2010s 24.1% 22.7% 25.5% 5
2020s 24.2% 23.9% 24.5% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Paraguay 25.1% compare
  2. 3 Dominican Republic 24.0% compare
  3. 4 Honduras 23.2% compare
  4. 5 Sri Lanka 23.1% compare

See the full ranking of 39 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and in South Africa?
Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and in South Africa was 24.5% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 27.2% in 2005.
What is the lowest beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 22.7% in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and?
South Africa ranks 2nd out of 39 countries with data for 2021.
Is beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -all social protection and rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. 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 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and Labor. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-2nd-quintile-percent-all-social-protection-and-labor/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Beneficiary incidence in 2nd quintile (%) -All Social Protection and Labor
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
39 places, 390 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

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