Almost half of salaried South Africans find themselves with less than R1,000 or in negative balances by payday, with middle-income earners being the most affected group.
Standard Bank reviewed data from over 402,000 individuals who receive their salaries on common payment dates, such as mid-month, the 25th, and month-end.
The day before payday, 21% had R1,000 or less, while 28% had negative balances or were using overdrafts. Only half had more than R1,000 in their accounts.
This highlights the significant financial pressure on South African consumers, exacerbated by high interest rates and rising living costs.
Even wealthier South Africans are not immune, with emerging middle-income earners being the largest group with less than R1,000 or in the red.
Private banking customers are also affected, with one in ten having a negative balance before payday.
Kabelo Makeke, head of Personal & Private Banking at Standard Bank South Africa, pointed out that this data also reflects a lack of financial resilience.
It shows that many South Africans cannot sustain their lifestyles without relying on credit or overdraft facilities.
Makeke said that South Africans struggle to bridge the gap between their salaries and lifestyles because they spend a large portion of their income early in the month, leaving little for unexpected expenses.
“The challenge of balancing income with lifestyle appears to increase as earnings rise, with more individuals falling into the trap of lifestyle inflation,” Makeke said.
Although high-income earners often have more disposable income, Standard Bank’s findings indicate they are also more prone to negative balances.
This is mainly due to lifestyle inflation, where rising incomes lead to higher spending that often surpasses earnings.
“As incomes rise, it’s easy to fall into the trap of spending more, which can create a cycle of debt. However, breaking this cycle is possible,” Makeke said.
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