Financial stress has increased among South Africans as rising living costs place renewed pressure on household budgets and debt repayments.

DebtBusters’ 2026 Money-Stress Tracker found that 72% of respondents experienced money stress. This rose from 70% in 2025 and reversed the modest improvement recorded last year. The survey drew close to 18,000 responses during May and June 2026.

Debt repayments consume household income

South Africa debt repayment pressure has worsened, with 53% of respondents spending more than 40% of their take-home pay on debt. In comparison, 48% crossed that level in 2025, according to DebtBusters.

Meanwhile, middle-class respondents earning more than R20,000 a month also reported heavy repayment burdens. Three-quarters of this income group spent more than 30% of their after-tax income on debt.

However, the official findings identified people aged between 35 and 44 as the group facing the most severe repayment pressure. Three out of four respondents in this age range spent more than 30% of their net income servicing debt.

The results support DebtBusters’ first-quarter Debt Index, which found that income growth was failing to keep pace with rising costs. Consumers who applied for debt counselling during the quarter required an average of 64% of their take-home pay to meet debt obligations.

Cost of living drives financial anxiety

According to the Money-Stress Tracker, immediate living expenses have overtaken interest rates as a leading cause of anxiety.

Respondents were particularly worried about running out of money before month-end and struggling to meet monthly debt payments. Therefore, the South Africa debt repayment pressure recorded in the survey extends beyond low-income households.

Financial stress among respondents aged 24 or younger increased by 18% compared with 2025. DebtBusters said younger consumers were entering adulthood in a more expensive environment than earlier generations.

Women also reported greater financial pressure than men across every measured category. Their level of financial concern was 15% higher, while stress affecting women’s home lives reached a five-year high.

Stress increasingly affects home life

The report found that financial stress is increasingly affecting people beyond their monthly budgets. Home-life stress rose sharply in 2026, while women recorded their highest level of home-related financial stress in five years.

DebtBusters identified four major signs of money stress: general financial anxiety, pressure at home, spending more than 40% of income on debt, and feeling trapped by one’s financial situation. Each of these measures increased compared with 2025.