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South African social grants cover 41% of population

By , based on GroundUp

South African social grants cover 41% of populationIllustrative image · Blinkiing Studio · Pexels · Licence Pexels

The number of South African social grant beneficiaries rose from about 12 million in 2006 to 26.6 million in 2025, nearly 41% of the population, according to GroundUp. The increase was driven in part by emergency aid introduced during the pandemic and extended until March 2028, while regular grants reach 18.8 million people in 2025-2026.

South African social grants covered about 26.6 million people in 2025, nearly 41% of the population, up from about 25% in 2006. The number of beneficiaries has risen since the launch of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), according to GroundUp.

The Covid-19 emergency grant, for people without an income, added about eight million beneficiaries to the system. Worth 370 rand a month, it has been extended until March 2028. The total number of beneficiaries peaked at nearly 29 million in 2021-2022, GroundUp reports.

Excluding the Covid-19 emergency grant, the number of regular grant beneficiaries rose from about 12 million in 2006-2007 to 18.8 million in 2025-2026. In the latter year, however, their number fell by 2.2%, mainly because of decreases in child and foster-care grants, according to SASSA’s 2025-2026 annual report.

The Treasury forecasts a further decline, from 17.8 million beneficiaries in 2026-2027 to 17.1 million in 2029-2030. It estimates that tighter eligibility checks will save 13.1 billion rand over three years, GroundUp reports.

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