More than a third of South Africans have a side hustle to make ends meet - survey

South Africans are struggling under financial pressure, but remain resilient and resourceful, according to the inaugural 'Money & Me' survey by financial website Just Money.

The survey was conducted in September 2025 and reflects data from more than 5,500 online responses from Just Money's subscriber base.

Providing insight into the respondents' financial lives and relationship with money, the study was split into six broad categories: earning, borrowing, spending, saving, protecting, and trusting. 

One of the key insights from the earning category, is that the pressure to earn more money has driven many South Africans to seek additional income streams.

The survey found that 36% of respondents have a side hustle.

It shows that people are really working hard and spending a lot of hours to pay the bills, comments Wendy Knowler.

However, she reports, there are significant barriers for many aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly when it comes to funding access.

Some 41% of respondents take home more than R10,000 per month, but distribution is uneven, according to the survey.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Side hustles are common: 36% have a side hustle. The most popular pursuit is buying and selling items online.
• Desire to grow income: The majority of respondents (61%) find every single month financially difficult.
• Support burden: 43% of individuals support four or more people with their income. This burden peaks in the 35-44 age group.
• Income confidence gap: Only 12% feel confident about their income, while 39% are worried. Women (9% confident, 42% worried) feel close to half as confident as men (16% confident, 34% worried), pointing to greater financial vulnerability.

The borrowing category revealed that there is a debt crisis among respondents, with significant reliance on borrowing, particularly for middle-to-high-income earners.

A worrying 38% are in unsustainable debt territory, spending more than 40% of their after-tax income on repayments. 

South Africans need both emotional insights and practical tools to shift from survival to stability, says psychologist Andrea Kellerman, who collaborated with Just Money on interpreting the survey findings.

Listen to Wendy Knowler in conversation with Stephen Grootes on 702's The Money Show in the audio link below, and click here to view the survey