SA poverty line revised to R600
Statistics South Africa has updated the national poverty lines for 2021.
The food poverty line is now R624 per person per month, up from R585 in the previous year.
This is an increase of almost 7%.
This refers to the amount of money that an individual needs to afford the minimum required daily energy intake.
This is also commonly referred to as the “extreme” poverty line.
The food basket that someone can buy with R624 includes basic foods, such as maize flour, brown bread, the head and legs of chicken, canned sardines, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, instant coffee, soup powder and sugar.
The normative nutritional standard in South Africa is 2 100 calories per person per day.
“Poverty lines are important tools that allow for the statistical reporting of poverty levels and patterns, as well as the planning, monitoring and evaluation of poverty reduction programmes and policies,” says Stats SA.
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