Solly Molayi, StatsSA's chief director for social statistics, said due to the high uptake of the R350 monthly grant, the percentage of individuals who accessed grants increased to 34.9% last year.
"The percentage of households that received at least one grant increased to 52.4%," Molayi said.
The survey also showed that with the exception of the Covid-19 social relief grants the number of persons accessing other grants would have stood at 30.7% down from 2019's 34.9%.
Molayi said they also found that the percentage of households which were connected to the electricity supply from the mains has increased from 76.7% in 2002 to 90% in 2020 as there was a decrease on the reliance on wood, coal and paraffin over the same period.
More SA households dependent on grants – StatsSA
Limpopo and E Cape are the worst cases
More than a quarter of all households received grants as their main source of income last year as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc.
This is according to StatsSA's General Household Survey 2020 report which was released on Thursday which showed that 28.8% of households had grants as their main source of income.
The report revealed that grants are a vital safety net especially in the poorest and most rural provinces such as the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.
In the Eastern Cape 63.6% of households with 69.3% in Limpopo had grants as their source of income compared to salaries.
Grants remained the second most important source of income in the country with increasing households depending more on grants, the survey revealed.
Solly Molayi, StatsSA's chief director for social statistics, said due to the high uptake of the R350 monthly grant, the percentage of individuals who accessed grants increased to 34.9% last year.
"The percentage of households that received at least one grant increased to 52.4%," Molayi said.
The survey also showed that with the exception of the Covid-19 social relief grants the number of persons accessing other grants would have stood at 30.7% down from 2019's 34.9%.
Molayi said they also found that the percentage of households which were connected to the electricity supply from the mains has increased from 76.7% in 2002 to 90% in 2020 as there was a decrease on the reliance on wood, coal and paraffin over the same period.