Poor getting poorer

The latest "Poverty Trends in South Africa" reports show that poverty rose to 55.5% in 2015 - up from 53.2% in 2011.

The statistics have been released as the country finds itself in a technical recession. 

Stats SA has says more than 30 million South Africans are languishing in poverty and can't afford the minimum lifestyle desired by most. 

South Africans living in rural areas in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape as well as those with little or no education are the main victims in the ongoing struggle against poverty.

The statistics show that female-headed households remain significantly poorer than male-headed households.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Female?src=hash">#Female</a>-headed households remain significantly poorer than male-headed households <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Poverty?src=hash">#Poverty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StatsSA?src=hash">#StatsSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/6toE3rtGiY">https://t.co/6toE3rtGiY</a> <a href="https://t.co/T64n6UPGBB">pic.twitter.com/T64n6UPGBB</a></p>&mdash; Stats SA (@StatsSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/StatsSA/status/899914156396224512">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>

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The report also delves into what most people are spending their money on - it compares the poor with the rich.

Poor households spend a third of its food budget on breads and cereals, while their wealthier counterparts spend a third on meat and fish. 

Stats SA says three out of every four poor people in the country are aged 34 or younger.