Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory in South Africa

South Africa: Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory was 42.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
42.9%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
5th
of 37 countries
All-time high
51.0%
in 2010
All-time low
19.7%
in 2018
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory in South Africa, 2005–2021

02040602005201320212005: 40.2 preT2010: 51 preT2014: 41.5 preT2016: 28.7 preT2018: 19.7 preT2019: 32.8 preT2020: 42.5 preT2021: 42.9 preT

Source: ASPIRE. Measured in preT.

Analysis

The most recent figure for beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory in South Africa is 42.9%, measured in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory in South Africa peaked at 51.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 2018.

That places South Africa 5th out of 37 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory Pensions (preT) in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year preT Change
2005 40.2%
2010 51.0% +26.8%
2014 41.5% -18.7%
2016 28.7% -30.9%
2018 19.7% -31.2%
2019 32.8% +66.3%
2020 42.5% +29.4%
2021 42.9% +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 40.2% 40.2% 40.2% 1
2010s 34.8% 19.7% 51.0% 5
2020s 42.7% 42.5% 42.9% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 2 Indonesia 47.8% compare
  2. 3 Colombia 44.5% compare
  3. 4 Paraguay 43.1% compare
  4. 6 Côte d'Ivoire 39.4% compare
  5. 7 Peru 37.0% compare
  6. 8 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 36.9% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory in South Africa?
Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory in South Africa was 42.9% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 51.0% in 2010.
What is the lowest beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 2018.
How does South Africa rank for beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory?
South Africa ranks 5th out of 37 countries with data for 2021.
Is beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - contributory rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory Pensions (preT). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-5th-quintile-richest-percent-contributory-pensions-pret/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/beneficiary-incidence-in-5th-quintile-richest-percent-contributory-pensions-pret/south-africa/">Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Beneficiary incidence in 5th quintile (richest) (%) - Contributory Pensions (preT)
Unit
preT
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
37 places, 369 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

Percentage of program beneficiaries in a quintile relative to the total number of beneficiaries in the population