The number
People receiving social grants
0m
What it means
About 19 million people get a monthly grant — not counting the R370 SRD grant.
The Braai Test
In a room of 10 South Africans, roughly 3 rely on a government grant each month.
🍞 Poverty
Poverty
Who gets a monthly grant — 1 figures, each linked to its official source.
On the bright side
The grant system keeps millions above the breadline
The World Bank calls SA's social grants one of the most effective safety nets in the developing world — it has kept millions out of extreme hunger.
Source: World Bank – South Africa overviewFar more people live in proper homes
About 8 in 10 households live in formal dwellings today, up from around 6 in 10 in the 1990s. Millions of RDP houses have been handed over since 1994.
Source: Stats SA – General Household Survey (P0318)