Survey: 23% of SA households depend on grants
The 2024 General Household Survey has revealed that the share of households relying on social grants as their primary source of income increased from 21% in 2009 to 28% in 2020, before falling back to 23% in 2024.
The survey, released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday, collects data on living conditions, access to services, and social development to support government planning and policy decisions.
Social grants are particularly vital for households in the Eastern Cape (38.9%), Northern Cape (34.4%), and Limpopo (33.8%).
“Salaries/wages were about as common in households headed by youth aged 25 to 34, than in those headed by individuals aged 35 to 59. Remittances were notably higher for households headed by youth aged 15 to 24 years,” said Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke.
He also noted that the percentage of individuals benefiting from social grants steadily increased from 12.8% in 2003 to around 31% between 2017 and 2019, reaching 40.1% in 2024.
“The increases were tracked closely by that of households that received at least one social grant, growing from 30.8% in 2003 to 52.4% in 2020 before settling at 50.4% in 2024,” Maluleke added.
Regarding youth aged 15-24, Maluleke explained that the percentage benefiting from social grants dropped sharply after age 17, decreasing from 59.9% to 9.9%.
“Compared to 2019, a much higher percentage of youth received grants in 2024 after the age of 18 due to the introduction of the SRD grant,” he said.
This follows Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s recent announcement extending the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant at R370 per month until March 2026, while modest increases were applied to other social grants to help offset rising living costs.
The extension of the SRD grant is expected to cost the government R35.2 billion through March 2026.
This funding forms part of a broader R284.7 billion allocation for social grants over the same period, which also covers increases to other grants, including old age and disability, child support, and foster care grants.
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