70% of children born between 2018 and 2021 rely on a social grant

In a classroom of 35 children, at least 24 will benefit from a grant.

This means most South African parents earn less than R5 900 a month.

And raises questions about how much support these children will need later in life.

Most South African Children Get a Grant

According to the South African Social Security Agency’s (SASSA) half-year report, most South African children rely on grants.

On average, 64% of the country’s children rely on a grant.

However, the report shows that for those born between 2018 and 2021, this jumps to 70%.

These 5- to 8-year-olds get more than R22 billion in support every year.

The next age group to reach 70% are 12-year-olds.

The government spends just over R5.8 billion a year supporting this age group.

The age group with the fewest beneficiaries are children under 1 year old. Only 32% get a grant in this age group.

But as children grow, so does the number of those getting grants. Children in Grade R (5-year-olds) have the highest concentration of grant beneficiaries: 71% are on a grant.

Yet only 1 school-going age category falls below the 64% average.

That’s 17-year-olds.

Only 63% of the country’s 17-year-olds get a grant. Most of these get a child support grant.

But this age group has the most foster care grant beneficiaries.

The foster care grant is awarded to foster parents with court-ordered custody of a child.

This may happen in instances where the child has been removed from the home or when both parents are deceased.

Age	Birth Year	% Relying on a Grant	Annual Spend
5 Years	2021	71%	R5.73 billion
6 Years	2020	70%	R5.68 billion
7 Years	2019	70%	R5.53 billion
8 Years	2018	70%	R5.33 billion
12 Years	2014	70%	R5.81 billion

The Impact on the Country

Understanding how many of South Africa’s children benefit from a grant can provide insight into the country’s economic future.

To be eligible for a child support grant, parents must earn less than R5 900 a month.

Married parents can’t exceed a household income of R11 900 a month.

The data suggests households with fewer resources have the most children.

In fact, the report reveals most households have more than 1 child receiving a child support grant.

There are 7 million child support grant beneficiaries, but 12.3 million children who benefit from this grant.

It also means the government will spend at least R251 billion over the next 10 years supporting the age groups with the highest percentage of grant beneficiaries.