EC province records most elderly dependents

FOR every 100 working people in the Eastern Cape, 15 elderly persons depend on state support, giving the province the highest elderly dependency rate in the country.

This is according to a Statistics SA (StatsSA) Social Profile of Older Persons report.

The research also found that in 2015, a total of 82.3% of older persons in the province relied on social grants specifically – the second highest number compared with other provinces.

It further revealed a drop in the number of non-grant recipients in the province from 18% in 2011 to 17.7% in 2015.

“The grant provides relief to the most vulnerable elderly population as this could potentially be the only source of income to certain households,” reads part of the report.

The high number of grant recipients in the province led to it topping the charts on old-age dependency ratios, which compares the number of available workers with the number of those considered to depend on state benefits.

The report benefits.

During 2015, the province had an old-age dependency ratio of 15.3%, the highest in the country compared with other provinces, which is almost a two percentage point increase from the 13.8% recorded in 2011.

This meant that during 2015, 100 working-age persons in the Eastern Cape had to carry the burden of 15 elderly people dependant on the state.

However, during the past 20 years, functional illiteracy among elder persons in the Eastern Cape decreased by close to 20 percentage points, which indicates significant progress in reducing illiteracy rates.

In 1996, illiteracy among elder persons in the province was standing at 70% but dropped to 52.8% in 2016.

Countrywide, the report noted, during the past 20 years a “significant improvement” among the elderly’s ability to read and write was achieved as the literacy rate stood at 37.4% in 1996 but jumped to 53% by the end of last year.

In that period, the province has seen the biggest decrease of illiteracy among senior citizens, followed by North West.

Illiteracy rates are currently the highest in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZuluNatal, with the Eastern Cape coming in at number five.

The Western Cape and Gauteng have the fewest elderly citizens who cannot read or write.

“Literacy is an important attribute that contributes to the well-being of people and their involvement in society.

“It prevents social exclusion . . .” notes the report.

According to the report, a person’s level of education attainment has a bearing on their ability to be economically independent after retirement. — does not list the