The astonishing number of South Africans who do not have medical aid
·5 Jul 2016
Data published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) shows that the majority of South Africans are not covered by a medical aid.
The report showed that out of a population of 54,432,000 South Africans, only 17.4% of the population is medically covered – 9,458,000 – leaving 44,974,000 people without cover.
According to the IRR, only 10.5% of black-African people are covered by private medical insurance, compared to 72.7% of white people.
However, there are now significantly more black-Africans (4,601,000) covered by medical aid than whites (3,317,000).
Medical aid coverage by population group, 2015
| Population group | Total population | Total not covered | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| African | 43 645 000 | 38 727 000 | 88.7% |
| Coloured | 4 861 000 | 3 912 000 | 80.5% |
| Indian/Asian | 1 366 000 | 752 000 | 55.1% |
| White | 4 561 000 | 1 208 000 | 26.5% |
| South Africa | 54 432 000 | 44 599 000 | 81.9% |
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