The South African Money Quiz

See where you stand compared to Old Mutual Savings & Investment Monitor 2025 and National Credit Regulator data on how South Africans save, borrow and spend.

About a minute

How old are you?

Age only picks the published column. It is not stored. The Old Mutual sample is ages 18 to 65.

What share of household income goes to savings?

Old Mutual's 2025 averages: 27% at ages 18 to 29, 22% at 30 to 49, and 18% at 50 to 65. The whole sample averaged 22%.

In a typical month, do you stay inside a budget?

In that survey, 69% said they often or sometimes overspend. At ages 30 to 49, 29% said seldom or never.

What share of household income goes to debt repayments?

Debt servicing in that monitor: 15% at ages 18 to 29, 19% at 30 to 49, and 20% at 50 to 65. The Reserve Bank's economy-wide ratio is a different figure, listed below.

How are your credit repayments going?

Good standing in the National Credit Regulator's June 2025 monitor means up to date, or no more than one or two missed payments, with no adverse listing and no judgment. 63.95% of credit-active consumers were in that group.

Do you dip into savings to get through the month?

45% of working respondents in the Old Mutual monitor were dipping into savings. The report does not split that by age.

Where does retirement saving stand?

96% said retirement saving is important. 28% named a comfortable retirement as a savings goal. Confidence is not the Treasury figure of about 6% on track.

Explore related resources

The South African Money Quiz: how does your money compare?

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Can I actually afford this?

Put one purchase next to the month you already have, in rands.

Retirement calculator

Sketch a longer savings path in rands, past a single quiz answer.

Debt payoff calculator

Compare avalanche and snowball plans for balances you already have.

Assumptions

Answers stay in this browser. Nothing is saved, and there is no signup before the score.
The score is out of 100: savings 25, staying inside a budget 15, debt repayments 20, credit standing 15, not dipping into savings 10, and retirement 15. Savings against the age-band average uses the age-band average. A band at or above that average gets the full savings points. Not saving gets zero. Self-rated retirement confidence scores 12, under solid progress at 15, because confidence is not the Treasury figure of about 6%.
Labels are bands against a published average or a published share of people who gave the same kind of answer. They are not percentiles. Old Mutual does not publish how many people save less than you.
The Reserve Bank put household debt at 61.3% of disposable income in the second quarter of 2026, and the cost of servicing that debt at 8.4% of disposable income in the first quarter of 2026. Those economy-wide ratios are not the 19% self-reported debt servicing in the Old Mutual monitor, so the quiz does not score you against them.
The June 2025 credit bureau monitor is the latest good-standing figure used here. The regulator's first-quarter 2026 consumer credit report says bureau monitoring was unavailable because of a new form.
This is an educational sketch, not financial, credit, tax, or retirement advice. A lender, a credit bureau, and a financial planner can reach a different answer on the same payslip.

Old Mutual. Savings & Investment Monitor 2025. Online survey of employed South Africans aged 18 to 65 earning at least R8,000 a month. n = 1,621. Fieldwork 17 April to 12 May 2025. Weighted to working South Africans using UNISA Bureau of Market Research profiles. Source
South African Reserve Bank. Quarterly Bulletin, September 2026. Household debt was 61.3% of nominal disposable income in the second quarter of 2026. This is an economy-wide ratio, not the survey average the quiz uses for a household's debt repayments. Source Context only. Not a quiz threshold.
South African Reserve Bank. Quarterly Bulletin, June 2026. The cost of servicing household debt was unchanged at 8.4% of disposable income in the first quarter of 2026. The September 2026 bulletin did not restate a second-quarter service ratio, so none is used here. Source Context only. Not a quiz threshold.
National Credit Regulator. Credit Bureau Monitor, quarter ended June 2025. 63.95% of 29.24 million credit-active consumers were in good standing (current, or no more than one or two missed instalments, with no adverse listing and no judgment). 36.05% had an impaired record. Source
National Credit Regulator. Consumer Credit Market Report, first quarter 2026. Says credit-bureau monitoring was unavailable because of a new reporting form. The June 2025 bureau monitor is the latest good-standing figure used here. Source Context only. Not a quiz threshold.
10X Investments. Retirement Reality Report 2023/2024. Says its findings align with a widely quoted National Treasury figure that about 6% of the population is on track to retire comfortably. 29% of people over 50 who had a plan said it was definitely or probably not on track. The survey is Brand Atlas: economically active people in households earning more than R6,000 a month, aged 16 and over, with internet access. The quiz does not place anyone inside the 6%. Source Context only. Not a quiz threshold.
Statistics South Africa. Labour Market Dynamics in South Africa, 2024. Median monthly earnings were R6 000 in 2024. That is all employed people, a wider group than the Old Mutual sample, and it is not used to rank a quiz answer. Source Context only. Not a quiz threshold.
TransUnion. South Africa Industry Insights Report, second quarter 2026. Account-level serious delinquency on credit cards (three or more months in arrears) was 13.1%. A market rate, not a personal score. Source Context only. Not a quiz threshold.