Improved access to electricity has had major implications for households, Stats SA said.
The percentage of households that used electricity as the main source of energy for cooking increased from 57.5% to 77.3%, while households that used paraffin decreased to 2.2% (from 16.1%) and households that used wood or coal decreased from 23% to 8%. Gas increased from 2.2% to 7.2%.
Access to electricity also enables wider use of household electrical appliances. Stats SA found 88.3% of households owned an electric stove (up from 78.7% in 2012), while 80.9% of households owned a fridge (up from 70.1% in 2012). About 59.3% of households owned a microwave oven.
More than one-third (35.9%) of households experienced load-shedding or power interruptions during the week before they were interviewed. Households employed a variety of alternative energy sources for cooking. Nationally, 28.2% used LPG/gas and 25.2% used open fires burning a variety of materials such as wood, coal and charcoal.
Social trends
About three out of 20 South Africans had access to a medical aid scheme in 2024. Coverage declined slightly from 15.9% in 2002 to 15.5% in 2024. The highest coverage rates were in the Western Cape (25.4%) and Gauteng (21.3%), while the lowest were in Limpopo (10%) and KwaZulu-Natal (10.2%).
The report revealed a decline in traditional radio ownership as a result of access to alternative media such as TV and internet.
The percentage of households that owned a radio decreased from 79.8% in 2002 to 31.3% in 2024, while household ownership of TV sets increased from 57.4% in 2002 to 77.5% in 2024.
Pay TV subscriptions increased from 29.2% in 2012 to 58.6% in 2024.
As the percentage of households that used landlines decreased from 25.5% in 2002 to 3.4%, access to mobile phones exploded and 96.1% of households owned at least one mobile phone in 2024. The percentage of households who had access to the internet through any other means increased from 28% in 2010 to 82.1% by 2024.
Access to the internet through fixed lines at home hovered at about 10% between 2010 and 2021, before increasing to 17.4% in 2024.
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Less than a third of children live with both parents, grant dependency high: Stats SA survey
General Household Survey released this week
Reliance on government funding grew as the proportion of individuals receiving social grants increased from 12.8% in 2003 to 30.9% in 2019, and surged to 40.1% in 2024 due to the introduction of the special Covid-19 social relief of distress (SRD) grant.
This is according to the General Household Survey released by Stats SA on Tuesday.
The percentage of households that received at least one grant increased from 30.8% in 2002 to 50.4% last year.
The report reveals that in 2024, 42.4% of households were headed by females, with the highest prevalence in rural areas (47.1%), particularly in the Eastern Cape (48.8%) and KwaZulu-Natal (46.8%). Female-headed households were least common in Gauteng (37.3%).
More than one-quarter (26.9%) of households consisted of a single person, while 39.4% were nuclear households comprising parents and children. Skip generation households, in which grandparents lived with grandchildren, comprised 4.2% of households. The latter were most common in the Eastern Cape (7.7%) and Limpopo (6.9%).
Less than a third (31.4%) of children lived with both parents, while 45.5% of children lived with only their mothers.
More than one-tenth (11.7%) were orphaned.
Almost one-fifth (18.8%) of children lived with neither of their biological parents.
Service delivery rollout
The survey shows the percentage of households living in formal dwellings increased from 73.5% in 2002 to 84.1% in 2024.
Nationally three-fifths (60.1%) of households owned the dwelling they lived in. A further 25.1% rented their dwellings.
Between 2002 and 2024, the percentage of households with access to piped or tap water in their dwellings, off-site or on-site, increased by 3.3% to 87.7%. Households with access to piped water in their dwellings increased from 40.4% to 46.4%.
The percentage of households with access to municipal water increased from 78.4% in 2004 to 79.8% in 2024, an increase of 6.3-million households.
Access to improved sanitation (flush toilets and pit toilets with ventilation pipes) increased from 61.7% in 2002 to 83.1% in 2024. The largest increases were observed in the Eastern Cape (56.5%), Limpopo (35.3%) and KwaZulu-Natal (26.9%). About two-thirds (66.7%) of households used flush toilets (up from 57.3% in 2002), while 16.3% used pit toilets with ventilation pipes (up from 4.4% in 2002). While 46.2% of toilet facilities were located in the dwelling, 49.9% were located in the yard.
Access to mains electricity also increased notably since 2002, increasing from 76.7% to 90.2%.
Improved access to electricity has had major implications for households, Stats SA said.
The percentage of households that used electricity as the main source of energy for cooking increased from 57.5% to 77.3%, while households that used paraffin decreased to 2.2% (from 16.1%) and households that used wood or coal decreased from 23% to 8%. Gas increased from 2.2% to 7.2%.
Access to electricity also enables wider use of household electrical appliances. Stats SA found 88.3% of households owned an electric stove (up from 78.7% in 2012), while 80.9% of households owned a fridge (up from 70.1% in 2012). About 59.3% of households owned a microwave oven.
More than one-third (35.9%) of households experienced load-shedding or power interruptions during the week before they were interviewed. Households employed a variety of alternative energy sources for cooking. Nationally, 28.2% used LPG/gas and 25.2% used open fires burning a variety of materials such as wood, coal and charcoal.
Social trends
About three out of 20 South Africans had access to a medical aid scheme in 2024. Coverage declined slightly from 15.9% in 2002 to 15.5% in 2024. The highest coverage rates were in the Western Cape (25.4%) and Gauteng (21.3%), while the lowest were in Limpopo (10%) and KwaZulu-Natal (10.2%).
The report revealed a decline in traditional radio ownership as a result of access to alternative media such as TV and internet.
The percentage of households that owned a radio decreased from 79.8% in 2002 to 31.3% in 2024, while household ownership of TV sets increased from 57.4% in 2002 to 77.5% in 2024.
Pay TV subscriptions increased from 29.2% in 2012 to 58.6% in 2024.
As the percentage of households that used landlines decreased from 25.5% in 2002 to 3.4%, access to mobile phones exploded and 96.1% of households owned at least one mobile phone in 2024. The percentage of households who had access to the internet through any other means increased from 28% in 2010 to 82.1% by 2024.
Access to the internet through fixed lines at home hovered at about 10% between 2010 and 2021, before increasing to 17.4% in 2024.
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