Study reveals Black South Africans now share top income bracket with white households

A new study shows that more Black South Africans are earning higher incomes, changing the country’s middle- and top-income groups over the past 30 years.

According to research by the University of Cape Town’s Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing, the percentage of white households earning more than R75,000 dropped from 61% in 2012 to 41% in 2024.

At the same time, the percentage of Black households earning above that amount rose from 29% to 41%.

The study also revealed that the middle class has grown and its racial makeup shifted, with 63% now being Black, compared to 46% in 2012.

Paul Egan, Managing Consultant at the University of Cape Town Liberty Institute, explained that the institute’s research focused on consumer trends and the use of lifestyle measures (LSMs) to understand the population.

“The Black middle and upper classes have grown in terms of the number of people, the number of households, and also spending power.”

He explained that this may be due to many people gaining employment out of tertiary education, as well as the children from middle-class households growing up and forming their own households.

To listen to Egan in conversation with 702’s John Perlman, use the audio player below: