Net worth percentile in South Africa

The median adult
R 229k≈ $14,000

Half of South Africa holds less; assets minus debts

Top 10% begins at
R 4.2m≈ $250,000
One adult in ten holds more
Top 1% begins at
R 31.8m≈ $1,900,000
139× the median adult
0255075100R 10kR 100kR 1mR 10mR 100m SHARE OF ADULTS AT OR BELOW Bottom 10%R 12.5kTop 10%R 4.2mTop 1%R 31.8m Median, R 228.8k 050100R 10kR 1mR 10m Top 1%R 31.8m Median, R 228.8k

Share of adults at or below each net worth in South Africa (2026 figures, log scale), the median marked. Type your own number into the full tool to place yourself.

In South Africa the median adult holds R 229k in net worth, the top 10% begins at R 4.2m and the top 1% at R 31.8m.

The ladder in South Africa

The median adult in South Africa holds R 229k; reaching the top 10% takes R 4.2m, and the top 1% begins at R 31.8m; a gap of 139× between the middle and the top line.

139× the medianhow far the top 1% line sits above the middle
#29 of 30where this median ranks among measured countries, at held rates

The full ladder

Every published line for South Africa, in ZAR.

The lineIn ZAR
Bottom 10%R 12.5k≈ $747
Bottom 25%R 49.5k≈ $3,000
MedianR 229k≈ $14,000
Top 25%R 1.1m≈ $63,000
Top 10%R 4.2m≈ $250,000
Top 5%R 7.8m≈ $470,000
Top 1%R 31.8m≈ $1,900,000
Top 0.1%R 235.3m≈ $14,000,000

Peers by median

Converted to USD at held rates, so the four nearest countries sit on one scale.

Brazil$18.1k India$8,061 Mexico$22.0k China$28.8k

Questions people ask

What is the median net worth in South Africa?
About R 229k per adult (2026 figures, modelled from the published distribution): assets minus debts, couples split equally. Half of adults hold less.
What net worth puts you in the top 10% in South Africa?
About R 4.2m per adult. The top 1% begins at R 31.8m, roughly 139 times the median adult's holding in South Africa.
Is this household or individual wealth?
Individual, per adult, couples split equally: household figures run higher. The calculator places any number you type on this same curve.
Where do the figures come from?
The fitted national wealth distribution (lognormal body, Pareto tail) built on the World Inequality Database, modelled from the published distribution for the median. The full tool draws the same curve for 216 countries.

Method and sources

  • World Inequality DatabasePer-adult net wealth distributions
  • UBS Global Wealth ReportPublished medians, where available
The computation

The same fitted distribution the net worth percentile tool draws for South Africa, read at the published percentile points; the median is modelled from the published distribution.

What these figures do not cover
  • Per-adult wealth, couples split equally.
  • Figures in ZAR. 2026 figures, indexed from the 2024 measured base with published per-country growth.

Last updated July 2026.

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