South Africa · Income · 2022 data
Am I middle class in South Africa?
Enter your household income after tax. See if you're inside the 75% to 200% band, and how far from each edge.
R
Data: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform — South Africa 2022, based on StatsSA Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) 2022/23. Per-capita consumption in 2022 nominal ZAR, derived from the PIP API. · income year 2022, survey wave 2022
Income distribution in South Africa
Each bar is a slice of South Africa households. The cyan marker shows where you sit; the flags below mark the median and the 75% and 200% band edges.
Bottom 50%Top 50%Top 10%Top 1%You
Multi-currency accountPartner link
Spend and invest globally
Revolut makes spending, saving, and investing across currencies effortless. Use our referral link to sign up.
Our go-to travel account
MyFinanceTools · Portfolio trackerFree account
You've seen where you stand. Now watch it move.
A free account turns this one-off check into a live dashboard: all your accounts in one place, with net worth, savings rate and progress toward your goals updated automatically as your money moves.
All your accounts in one dashboard
Net worth, goals & progress tracked automatically
Free, no card required
No card requiredPrivate by defaultDelete anytime2-minute setup
Your next moves
Picked for where you stand: four things to do with this number.
Where your salary actually goesGross to net, line by line.Make compounding work for youWatch what your monthly savings turn into.Left the middle class? See your exact rank.Your income percentile: top 10%? Top 1%? Find out.Track your progressTracking your progress helps you reach goals faster. Start free.
What the numbers actually say
Useful framings, not slogans.
Middle class in South Africa: R 15 233 to R 40 620 a year.
That's 75% to 200% of the median of R 20 310, the OECD's definition.
About 36% of households in South Africa sit inside the band.
Estimated from the same published income distribution this page runs on.
The OECD middle class shrank from 64% to 61%.
Between the mid-1980s and mid-2010s, roughly one percentage point per decade.
70% of boomers were middle class in their twenties.
For millennials at the same age it was 60%, per the OECD's 2019 report.
The middle class has rungs: 75%, 100%, 150% and 200% of the median.
In South Africa: a floor of R 15 233, a midpoint of R 20 310, a ceiling of R 40 620.
Twice the median is not "rich". It's the edge of "middle".
Above R 40 620 the OECD stops calling you middle class and starts calling you upper income.
Frequently Asked Questions
What income is middle class in South Africa?+
Am I still middle class if I earn more than the median?+
What counts as upper income in South Africa?+
Is the middle class really shrinking?+
Where do the numbers on this page come from?+
Explore other countries
AR
Argentina
Am I middle class in Argentina?
AU
Australia
Am I middle class in Australia?
AT
Austria
Am I middle class in Austria?
BE
Belgium
Am I middle class in Belgium?
BR
Brazil
Am I middle class in Brazil?
CA
Canada
Am I middle class in Canada?
CL
Chile
Am I middle class in Chile?
FI
Finland
Am I middle class in Finland?
FR
France
Am I middle class in France?
DE
Germany
Am I middle class in Germany?
IE
Ireland
Am I middle class in Ireland?
IT
Italy
Am I middle class in Italy?
JP
Japan
Am I middle class in Japan?
LU
Luxembourg
Am I middle class in Luxembourg?
MX
Mexico
Am I middle class in Mexico?
PE
Peru
Am I middle class in Peru?
PT
Portugal
Am I middle class in Portugal?
SG
Singapore
Am I middle class in Singapore?
ES
Spain
Am I middle class in Spain?
CH
Switzerland
Am I middle class in Switzerland?
NL
the Netherlands
Am I middle class in the Netherlands?
GB
the United Kingdom
Am I middle class in the United Kingdom?
US
the United States
Am I middle class in the United States?