JOHANNESBURG, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Significant strides have been made in improving infrastructure and overall living conditions in South Africa over the last two decades, according to the General Household Survey 2023 released by Statistics South Africa on Thursday.

More than 83.5 percent of South African households lived in formal dwellings in 2023, up from 73.5 percent in 2002, said Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke when releasing the survey.

The proportion of households residing in informal settlements has shown minor fluctuations since 2002, dipping marginally from 13 percent to 12.2 percent, he said.

"The improvement in housing quality is also evident in the availability of drinking water. From 2002 to 2023, the proportion of households with access to piped or tap water either on-site or off-site rose by 2.6 percentage points to reach 87 percent," Maluleke said.

Since 2002, there has been significant progress in sanitation access in South Africa as the percentage of households with upgraded sanitation facilities, including flush toilets and pit toilets with ventilation pipes, rose from 61.7 percent to 83.3 percent by 2023, according to the survey.

The survey also showed that a typical South African household had about 3.2 members. "About 26.5 percent of South African households had just one member, 87 percent of homes had four to five members or fewer, while only 13 percent of households contained six members or more."

While there have been improvements in access to basic services and housing, inequalities persist and require sustained efforts to address infrastructure gaps, promote inclusive development, and build community resilience to future challenges, Maluleke said. Enditem

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