Housing
Home ownership, informal settlements, housing delivery and access to services.
3 datasets · Last updated 10 October 2023
Dataset update log
Housing & Services
Annual (GHS); Decennial (Census)
Last updated: 10 October 2023
Source: Stats SA
Release: Census 2022 / General Household Survey
Level: national
Recent history
Access to Piped Water (In-dwelling)
7.2pp63.0%
since Census 2011
Percentage of households with access to piped water inside their dwelling as per Census 2022. Rural provinces continue to lag significantly — Limpopo (38%) and Eastern Cape (42%) have the lowest access rates.
Access to Piped Water (In-dwelling) has increased by 20.7pp from 2001 to 2022 — a positive development.
Households with Electricity
3.6pp91.2%
since Census 2011
Percentage of households connected to the electrical grid as per Census 2022. Despite near-universal connectivity, load-shedding (scheduled power cuts) severely impacts effective access and remains a major economic drag.
Households with Electricity has increased by 21.2pp from 2001 to 2022 — a positive development.
Households in Formal Dwellings
6.4pp80.9%
since Census 2011
Percentage of households living in formal dwellings (brick/concrete houses, flats, townhouses) as per Census 2022. Approximately 14.8% live in informal dwellings (shacks). Gauteng has the highest proportion of informal settlements.
Households in Formal Dwellings has increased by 15.7pp from 2001 to 2022 — a positive development.
Understanding the data
Access to Piped Water (In-dwelling) rose by 7.2 percentage points from 2011 (55.8%) to 2022 (63%) — a positive development.
The available data covers 3 periods. With a limited series, long-run trend analysis is indicative only. The current reading of 63.0% compares to 42.3% in 2001.
Access to formal housing and basic services is a core development indicator. At 63.0%, this metric reflects both historical delivery progress and the ongoing backlog. Housing access correlates strongly with health outcomes, educational attainment, and economic participation.
Housing data comes from the 2022 Census and General Household Survey. "Formal dwelling" definitions can mask quality — a brick house without running water counts as formal. Stats SA distinguishes between piped water in dwelling, on site, and nearby, which significantly affects access rates. This figure is drawn from the Census 2022 Statistical Release, published by Statistics South Africa.
Trend visualisations
Access to Piped Water (In-dwelling)
Unit: %
Access to Piped Water (In-dwelling) has increased by 20.7pp from 2001 to 2022 — a positive development.
- 2001: 42.3%
- 2022: 63%
- Change: +20.7pp over 3 periods
- Recent trend: broadly stable
Households with Electricity
Unit: %
Households with Electricity has increased by 21.2pp from 2001 to 2022 — a positive development.
- 2001: 70%
- 2022: 91.2%
- Change: +21.2pp over 4 periods
- Recent trend: broadly stable
Households in Formal Dwellings
Unit: %
Households in Formal Dwellings has increased by 15.7pp from 2001 to 2022 — a positive development.
- 2001: 65.2%
- 2022: 80.9%
- Change: +15.7pp over 4 periods
- Recent trend: broadly stable
Data sources
Data Source
Statistics South Africa
Census 2022 Statistical Release
Published 10 October 2023