Survey shows most SA households are under extreme financial pressure

A customer looks at chocolates for sale in a Christmas offers

With Christmas only three days away, a new Debt Rescue survey indicates that the vast majority of South African households are under extreme financial pressure, prompting many families to cut back or cancel their holiday celebrations entirely.

According to the survey, 94% of respondents said that they were under severe financial pressure during the busy holiday season.

The survey was conducted to determine the current state of consumer finances at this time of year, which is traditionally associated with increased spending and gift-giving.

Debt Rescue’s Chief Legal Officer, Annaline van der Poel, says that 71% of people in SA are just coping, while 32% are under severe financial pressure.

“The reality is that even though inflation has come down, the big drivers of inflation increasing have been food and yes we may have seen interest rates come down but we’ve seen electricity go up and fuel prices fluctuate so for the average consumer this has not been an easy year and the living expenses just increasing and they’re just not keeping up. We’ve had 71% telling they are just coping and 32% saying that they’re under severe financial pressure, so realistically 39% tells us that they can’t afford to celebrate the festive season,” says van der Poel.

[ON AIR] As South Africa heads into the festive season, a sobering picture of widespread financial distress is emerging. A new survey by Debt Rescue reveals that the vast majority of households are under severe financial pressure, forcing many families to scale back or abandon… pic.twitter.com/TwKbRfyit1

— SAfmRadio 📻 (@SAfmRadio) December 22, 2025