Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social in South Africa

South Africa: Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social was 93.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
93.7%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
2nd
of 40 countries
All-time high
93.7%
in 2021
All-time low
72.2%
in 2005
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social in South Africa, 2005–2021

0204060801002005201320212005: 72.22010: 772014: 91.92016: 87.42018: 872019: 91.72020: 922021: 93.7

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

In 2021, population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social in South Africa stood at 93.7%. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social in South Africa peaked at 93.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 72.2%, in 2005.

That places South Africa 2nd out of 40 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social Assistance (%) -urban in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 72.2%
2010 77.0% +6.7%
2014 91.9% +19.3%
2016 87.4% -4.9%
2018 87.0% -0.5%
2019 91.7% +5.4%
2020 92.0% +0.4%
2021 93.7% +1.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 93.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 47.4%, 2.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 72.2% 72.2% 72.2% 1
2010s 87.0% 77.0% 91.9% 5
2020s 92.9% 92.0% 93.7% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Bolivia 96.7% compare
  2. 3 Thailand 92.9% compare
  3. 4 El Salvador 87.9% compare
  4. 5 Peru 87.3% compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social in South Africa?
Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social in South Africa was 93.7% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 93.7% in 2021.
What is the lowest population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 72.2% in 2005.
How does South Africa rank for population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social?
South Africa ranks 2nd out of 40 countries with data for 2021.
Is population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving all social rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social Assistance (%) -urban. 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

Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-in-the-1st-quintile-poorest-only-receiving-all-social-assistance-percent-urban/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/population-in-the-1st-quintile-poorest-only-receiving-all-social-assistance-percent-urban/south-africa/">Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population in the 1st quintile (poorest) only receiving All Social Assistance (%) -urban
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
40 places, 395 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

Percentage of population only receiving All Social Assistance programs (includes direct and indirect beneficiaries)