Whether an individual receives SA is the result of an administrative decision about eligibility where, by definition, eligibility depends on the income of the claimant’s family or household. Low income arises from low pay or especially unemployment. Also, SA benefit levels in most countries would give SA recipients an income lower than or similar to the official poverty line, so most SA recipients are also poor (see Section 1). Furthermore, eligibility for SA also depends on household size and composition, so there may also be a role played by demographic changes.