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

South Africa: Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -All Social was 84.0% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
84.0%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
1st
of 37 countries
All-time high
87.2%
in 2020
All-time low
8.8%
in 2010
Years of data
8
2005–2021

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

0204060802005201320212005: 32.62010: 8.82014: 31.62016: 83.42018: 41.32019: 83.92020: 87.22021: 84

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

In 2021, benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social in South Africa stood at 84.0%.

That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and up 859.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social in South Africa peaked at 87.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2010.

That places South Africa 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Annual values for Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -All Social Protection and Labor in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 32.6%
2010 8.8% -73.1%
2014 31.6% +260.2%
2016 83.4% +164.3%
2018 41.3% -50.5%
2019 83.9% +103.0%
2020 87.2% +4.0%
2021 84.0% -3.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 84.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 39.9%, 2.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32.6% 32.6% 32.6% 1
2010s 49.8% 8.8% 83.9% 5
2020s 85.6% 84.0% 87.2% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 2 Colombia 78.2% compare
  2. 3 Côte d'Ivoire 70.6% compare
  3. 4 Honduras 69.0% 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 benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social in South Africa?
Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social in South Africa was 84.0% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 87.2% in 2020.
What is the lowest benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 2010.
How does South Africa rank for benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social?
South Africa ranks 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2021.
Is benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -all social rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 859.0%. 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 Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -All Social Protection and Labor. 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

Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -All Social in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/benefits-incidence-in-5th-quintile-richest-percent-all-social-protection-and-labor/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/benefits-incidence-in-5th-quintile-richest-percent-all-social-protection-and-labor/south-africa/">Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -All Social in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Benefits incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) -All Social Protection and Labor
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
37 places, 372 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

Percentage of benefits going to the richestquintile relative to the total benefits going to the population