Adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa
South Africa: Adequacy of social insurance programs was 50.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa, 2005–2021
Source: ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total welfare of beneficiary households.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa is 50.3%, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 13.5% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa peaked at 71.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 38.9%, in 2005.
South Africa ranks 9th of 32 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total welfare of beneficiary households | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 38.9% | — |
| 2014 | 44.2% | +13.6% |
| 2016 | 58.5% | +32.3% |
| 2018 | 54.2% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 71.7% | +32.3% |
| 2020 | 58.2% | -18.9% |
| 2021 | 50.3% | -13.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 50.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 39.9%, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.9% | 38.9% | 38.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 57.1% | 44.2% | 71.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 54.2% | 50.3% | 58.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa?
- Adequacy of social insurance programs in South Africa was 50.3% in 2021, according to ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest adequacy of social insurance programs recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 71.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest adequacy of social insurance programs recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.9% in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for adequacy of social insurance programs?
- South Africa ranks 9th out of 32 countries with data for 2021.
- Is adequacy of social insurance programs rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adequacy of social insurance programs. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Adequacy of social insurance programs is measured as the total transfer amount received by those participating in social insurance programs as a share of their total welfare/income.