Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social in South Africa

South Africa: Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social was 56.8% in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
56.8%
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
2nd
of 37 countries
All-time high
57.1%
in 2020
All-time low
24.0%
in 2018
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social in South Africa, 2005–2021

02040602005201320212005: 48.22010: 52.62014: 51.42016: 39.22018: 242019: 472020: 57.12021: 56.8

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 56.8% for beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social in South Africa peaked at 57.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 24.0%, in 2018.

That places South Africa 2nd out of 37 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social Insurance in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 48.2%
2010 52.6% +9.1%
2014 51.4% -2.3%
2016 39.2% -23.6%
2018 24.0% -38.9%
2019 47.0% +95.9%
2020 57.1% +21.6%
2021 56.8% -0.6%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 56.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31.1%, 1.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 48.2% 48.2% 48.2% 1
2010s 42.8% 24.0% 52.6% 5
2020s 57.0% 56.8% 57.1% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Honduras 58.8% compare
  2. 3 Paraguay 56.3% compare
  3. 4 Colombia 53.9% compare
  4. 5 Thailand 48.2% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social in South Africa?
Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social in South Africa was 56.8% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 57.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 24.0% in 2018.
How does South Africa rank for beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social?
South Africa ranks 2nd out of 37 countries with data for 2021.
Is beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - all social rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social Insurance. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-5th-quintile-richest-percent-all-social-insurance/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-5th-quintile-richest-percent-all-social-insurance/south-africa/">Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - All Social Insurance
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
37 places, 369 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

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