Household access to improved water, sanitation and electricity has improved significantly over the past 23 years, according to Statistics South Africa’s 2025 General Household Survey.The survey, conducted annually since 2002, tracks development progress and highlights persistent service-delivery gaps across South Africa.
Access to improved sanitation (flush toilets and pit toilets with ventilation pipes) increased from 61,7% in 2002 to 84,0% in 2025. “The largest increases were observed in the Eastern Cape (54,6 percentage points) and Limpopo (37,9 percentage points).
“An estimated 16,8% of households used pit toilets with ventilation pipes (up from 4,4% in 2002). Pit latrine without ventilation pipes decreased by 12,4 percentage points to 13,0% in 2025,” Stats SA said. Electricity access rose from 76,7% in 2002 to 90,6% in 2025, accompanied by reduced reliance on traditional fuels. However, wood use remains relatively high in some provinces, particularly Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Access to refuse removal services highlights ongoing inequality.
“While 84,9% of urban households received regular services, only 13,0% of rural households did so. Consequently, a large majority (84,7%) of households reported burning waste. Recycling practices remain limited, with only 10,5% of households separating recyclable material,” Stats SA said. Access to the internet continues to expand rapidly and close to nine-tenths (85,6%) of households had access to any kind of internet in 2025. In contrast, traditional mail services continue to decline, with 67,4% of households reporting no access to postal services.
Families remain central to child development; however, living arrangements vary considerably.In 2025, fewer than one-third of children (31,4%) lived with both biological parents, while nearly half (45,9%) resided with their mothers only. A notable 18,5% of children lived with neither parent, and 11,2% experienced orphanhood.
Single-person households accounted for 26,6% of all households, while nuclear households made up 38,9%. Female-headed households remained significant at 42,6%, particularly in rural areas where the proportion rose to 47,6%.
Participation in early childhood development (ECD) programmes remained uneven, with only 36,3% of children aged 0–4 having attended ECD facilities, while more than half (50,2%) were cared for at home. Stats SA added that school attendance was nearly universal until age 15, when it increased to 97,1%; however, delayed progression persists, with 8,8% of 21-year-olds still enrolled in secondary school.
The report shows that educational attainment continues to improve.
“The proportion of adults with no education declined significantly from 11,4% in 2002 to 2,6% in 2025. Meanwhile, the share of those with at least a National Senior Certificate increased from 30,7% to 53,5%. “No-fee schools remained a cornerstone of access, serving 65,1% of learners nationally, although provincial disparities remain pronounced,” Stats SA said.
Medical aid coverage remained relatively unchanged at 15,5%, highlighting persistent inequities in access to private healthcare. Coverage was highest in the Western Cape (25,9%) and Gauteng (22,1%) and lowest in Limpopo (8,2%) and KwaZulu-Natal (9,5%).
Black African individuals comprised the majority (52,2%) of medical aid beneficiaries.
The GHS report revealed that by 2025, grants reached 39,5% of individuals and 50,6% of households, with nearly one-quarter (23,4%) relying on them as their main income source. “Salaries and wages remained the primary income source for 54,3% of households, though this varied widely across provinces.
“Just over one fifth (22,0%) of households considered their access to food as inadequate or severely inadequate, 4,2 percentage points higher than in 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19. The need was most common in NC (43,0%) and least common in LP (6,1%),” Stats SA said.
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