Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social in South Africa

South Africa: Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social was 11.6% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
11.6%
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
10th
of 25 countries
All-time high
67.4%
in 2005
All-time low
11.6%
in 2021
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social in South Africa, 2005–2021

2040602005201320212005: 67.4 preT2010: 52.7 preT2014: 63.6 preT2016: 18.6 preT2018: 16.2 preT2019: 16.1 preT2020: 11.7 preT2021: 11.6 preT

Source: ASPIRE. Measured in preT.

Analysis

In 2021, beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social in South Africa stood at 11.6%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 78.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social in South Africa peaked at 67.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 2021.

That places South Africa 10th out of 25 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social Pensions (preT) in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year preT Change
2005 67.4%
2010 52.7% -21.9%
2014 63.6% +20.7%
2016 18.6% -70.7%
2018 16.2% -13.0%
2019 16.1% -0.5%
2020 11.7% -27.1%
2021 11.6% -1.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 11.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.2%, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 67.4% 67.4% 67.4% 1
2010s 33.4% 16.1% 63.6% 5
2020s 11.7% 11.6% 11.7% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 7 Serbia 17.6% compare
  2. 8 Peru 14.7% compare
  3. 9 Türkiye 13.8% compare
  4. 11 Panama 11.0% compare
  5. 12 Republic of Moldova 10.8% compare
  6. 13 Russian Federation 10.4% compare

See the full ranking of 25 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social in South Africa?
Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social in South Africa was 11.6% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 67.4% in 2005.
What is the lowest beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 2021.
How does South Africa rank for beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social?
South Africa ranks 10th out of 25 countries with data for 2021.
Is beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - social rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 78.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social Pensions (preT). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-extreme-poor-2-15-a-day-percent-social-pensions-pret/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Beneficiary incidence in extreme poor (<$2.15 a day) (%) - Social Pensions (preT)
Unit
preT
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
25 places, 221 data points, 2004–2023
Last refreshed

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