8 Shocking Statistics That Prove Racism Is Alive And Thriving In South Africa

 

Soweto_township

Household Income

Today, South Africa has the world’s highest level of income inequality, and it is the Black majority that still teeters precariously at the bottom end of the scale. The average annual income of a white household is about 365,000 rand ($42,000; £26,000), followed by Indians at 251,000 rand, people of mixed race at 251,500 rand and Blacks at 60,600 rand ($5,000; £3,000), according to the 2011 census. The same report found that whites make up 9.2 percent of South Africa’s population. In 2005, 63 percent of Black children lived in households that earned less than 800 rands, compared to only 4 percent of white children.

 

 

afrique-du-sud-2-general-view-of-alexandra-township-in-johannesburg_402639Income Distribution

A comparison of data from the 2008 National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) and the 1993 Project for Statistics on Living Standards and Development (PSLSD) found that income inequality had increased both aggregately and between racial groups.  In 2008, the wealthiest 10 percent earned 58 percent of the total income, and the top 5 percent earned 43 percent of the total income.  This economic situation is worse than in 1993, when the top 5 percent earned 38 percent of the total income.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top