Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban in South Africa

South Africa: Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban was 4.1% in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
4.1%
Change on year
up 52.5%
World rank
37th
of 37 countries
All-time high
4.8%
in 2016
All-time low
2.7%
in 2020
Years of data
8
2005–2021

Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban in South Africa, 2005–2021

0123452005201320212005: 3.42010: 4.42014: 42016: 4.82018: 3.32019: 4.62020: 2.72021: 4.1

Source: ASPIRE.

Analysis

The most recent figure for coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban in South Africa is 4.1%, measured in 2021.

The figure is up 52.5% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban in South Africa peaked at 4.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2020.

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

Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban in South Africa, 2005 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2005 3.4% —
2010 4.4% +27.9%
2014 4.0% -7.4%
2016 4.8% +18.7%
2018 3.3% -30.7%
2019 4.6% +37.9%
2020 2.7% -41.2%
2021 4.1% +52.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 4.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23.5%, 18% of the median. (24 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
2010s 4.2% 3.3% 4.8% 5
2020s 3.4% 2.7% 4.1% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 34 Cote d'Ivoire 6.4% compare
  2. 35 Thailand 6.2% compare
  3. 36 Honduras 5.4% 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 coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban in South Africa?
Coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban in South Africa was 4.1% in 2021, according to ASPIRE.
What is the highest coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 2016.
What is the lowest coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban?
South Africa ranks 37th out of 37 countries with data for 2021.
Is coverage (%) - contributory pensions -urban rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE, published as part of Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban. 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

Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/coverage-percent-contributory-pensions-urban/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/coverage-percent-contributory-pensions-urban/south-africa/">Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Coverage (%) - Contributory Pensions -urban
Source
ASPIRE
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
37 places, 369 data points, 2002–2023
Last refreshed

Percentage of population participating in Contributory Pensions programs (includes direct and indirect beneficiaries)