Poverty and Inequality: Findings from the GCRO’s Quality of Life survey 7 (2023/24)

This Data Brief presents results from the GCRO's Quality of Life 7 survey (2023/24) that relate to poverty and inequality in Gauteng.

HEADLINE FINDINGS

• Average household incomes are higher in the central parts of Gauteng while lower incomes are more common in peripheral areas such as the Sedibeng and West Rand district municipalities. However, income inequality decreased in the Quality of Life (QoL) Survey 7 (2023/24) compared to previous survey levels, with the most significant reductions observed in Sedibeng and the West Rand (Figure 3)
• There has been a long-term increase in the proportion of Gauteng households living on incomes below the poverty line. On average, there has been an increase of between six and seven percentage points in food poverty and lower- and upper-bound poverty from 2009 to the present (Figure 4).
• The magnitude of poverty revealed in QoL 7 (2023/24), although decreasing from the 2020/21 COVID-19-related level, is still higher than in all previous QoL survey iterations (Figure 4).
• Food poverty is highest among the Black African (19%) and Coloured (16%) population groups as of 2023/24, compared to 2% and 1% among the Indian/Asian and White population groups, respectively (Figure 5).
• Over the 2009 to 2023/24 period, the largest increase in food poverty occurred among the Coloured population, from 1% to 16% (Figure 5).
• Female-headed households experienced higher levels of food poverty compared to maleheaded households, with 24% of female-headed households affected compared to 12% of male-headed households (Figure 6).
• With a Gini coefficient of 65, Gauteng’s income inequality remains high. However, there appears to have been a sustained decline in inequality since 2015 (Figure 8).
• There is now a fairly significant difference in inequality between male- and female-headed households, with Gini coefficients of 66 and 57, respectively (Figure 10).
• In QoL 7 (2023/24), inequality has worsened among Coloured households compared to other racial groups (Figure 13).