Less than a third of children live with both parents, grant dependency high: Stats SA survey
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%, a ccess 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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