Parliament - Just under 16 million South Africans were receiving some form of social security grant from government last year, according to Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.
This cost government more than R109 billion during 2013/14, she said on Monday, in a written reply to a parliamentary question.
The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) provides grants including old age, war veterans, disability, grant-in-aid, care dependency, foster care, and child support.
Of the total 15 932 473 grant beneficiaries last year, 70 percent (11 125 946) received child support grants. A total of R39.6bn was paid out on child support grants during 2013/14.
Over the same period, R44.1bn was spent on old age grants - referred to as older person's grants - to 2 969 933 beneficiaries.
The total spent on all grants last year was R109 053 880 000.
Figures for the first quarter of this year (2014/15), given in the reply, show the number of beneficiaries is on the rise.
There were 16 242 196 grant recipients at the end of June, and the cost of providing their benefits up to that date was R29.3bn.
There were 2.5m social grant beneficiaries in 1998.
Sapa