Wealth and income percentiles in South Africa
How much net worth or income does it take to be in the top 10% or top 1% in South Africa? Model estimates for 41.3 million adults aged 20+, reference level 2025.
Net worth thresholds in South Africa
Net worth is private assets (property, deposits, securities, business ownership) minus debt, per adult. Thresholds show the minimum net worth needed to belong to each group.
| Group of adults | Threshold, ZAR | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | ZAR 70,600 | USD 4,270 |
| Top 10% | ZAR 582,000 | USD 35,200 |
| Top 5% | ZAR 1,380,000 | USD 83,700 |
| Top 1% | ZAR 5,070,000 | USD 306,000 |
| Top 0.1% | ZAR 38,900,000 | USD 2,350,000 |
| Average (mean) | ZAR 476,000 | USD 28,800 |
Income thresholds in South Africa
Income is a harmonized pre-tax economic income per adult used for cross-country comparison. It is broader than wages and includes capital income, pensions and some imputed components.
| Group of adults | Threshold, ZAR | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | ZAR 40,500 | USD 2,450 |
| Top 10% | ZAR 458,000 | USD 27,700 |
| Top 5% | ZAR 660,000 | USD 39,900 |
| Top 1% | ZAR 1,530,000 | USD 92,200 |
| Top 0.1% | ZAR 5,040,000 | USD 304,000 |
| Average (mean) | ZAR 145,000 | USD 8,740 |
South Africa in a global context
South Africa has 0.75% of the world’s adults. About 2.4% of them are in the world’s top 10% by net worth and 0.22% are in the global top 1%. By income, the shares are 4.7% and 0.29%.
The median adult in South Africa is in the global top 63.6% by net worth and the global top 65.4% by income. South Africa is home to about 0.17% of the world’s top 1% by net worth.
Data quality and sources
Scores run from 1 (strong direct national source coverage) to 5 (mainly modelled).
| Measure | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 3 | The wealth side uses country-specific WIR/WID estimates rather than a direct South African net-worth distribution. |
| Income | 3 | Statistics South Africa IES 2022/23 provides an official household-income median and mean, but only these few moments are imported. The full curve is therefore largely modelled. |
The calculator also offers a national source track for South Africa based on official national statistics (Advanced options → Comparison basis). National tracks use their own definitions and are not added to the global total.
Amounts are converted at fixed exchange rates of 2025-12-31; they do not adjust for purchasing power. Thresholds in the extreme top are modelled and uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
How much net worth do you need to be in the top 1% in South Africa?
About ZAR 5,070,000 in net worth (assets minus debt) per adult, according to the WealthPercentile model for 2025. The top 10% starts at about ZAR 582,000.
What is the median income in South Africa?
The median adult in South Africa has a broad pre-tax economic income of about ZAR 40,500 a year. This measure is broader than wages: it includes capital income and some imputed components, so it is higher than a typical payslip.
How many adults in South Africa are in the global top 1%?
About 0.22% of adults in South Africa are in the world’s top 1% by net worth, and 0.29% by income.
How reliable are these numbers?
They are model estimates. The data-quality score for South Africa is 3/5 for net worth and 3/5 for income, where 1 means strong direct source coverage and 5 means mainly modelled.