"Where Are the Jobs?": SA Man Shares Degrees Most Common Among SA Millionaires, Mzansi Reacts
- A viral Instagram video revealed the percentage share of high net worth individuals in South Africa by field of study
- Law led the rankings at 27%, followed by finance at 19% and accounting at 10%, according to a South African blog
- South Africans online had mixed feelings about the findings, with some poking fun at their own financial reality
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Source: UGC
A viral video is making South Africans rethink their career choices after revealing which university degrees produce the highest share of millionaires in the country.
Posted on Instagram on 23 October 2026, the clip breaks down data on high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in South Africa, ranking degrees from least to most represented among the country's wealthiest earners. The speaker presents the figures using an on-screen chart, walking viewers through each field of study in ascending order.
Which degrees produce the most millionaires?
According to data cited in the video, law degrees top the list, accounting for 27% of all high net worth individuals in South Africa. Finance comes in second at 19%, while accounting follows at 10%. Medicine and science, as well as computers and IT, each account for 8%, with engineering at 7% and actuarial science at the bottom of the ranked list at 5%. The speaker noted that the remaining 16% is spread across other fields of study, each with too small a share to feature individually.
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A report by Business Insider supported the ranking of the degrees and their hierarchies but varied on percentages.
According to BusinessTech data, law came out on top, accounting for 27% to 30% of South Africa's wealthiest individuals. Finance and accounting followed closely, representing 19% to 28% of HNWIs. Actuarial science sat at the bottom of the list at 5%, with engineering at 7%, and computers and IT along with medicine and science both at 8%.
The creator rounded it off with a jab at the cost of living:
"So we all know what to study so we can afford petrol."
View the Instagram video below:
South Africans react with laughter and scepticism
Not everyone was convinced the degree alone was enough. The comment section on the page quickly filled with a mix of humour and pushback.
@zamani_mpanza said:
"Commercial Law 🔥🔥🔥"
@sibabili2 wrote:
"Finance mntanami (my child) 🙌🔥"
@kwazzay admitted:
"I knew he would say law and I got mad before he even said it 🤣🤣"
@caitlinincapetown, who identified herself as an attorney, offered a sharp reality check:
"Attorney here - financially I have to put water in my shampoo bottle to make it last"
@move_with_minnie asked the question many were thinking:
"Where are the jobs so we can be millionaires 😭😅"
@thee_della simply wrote:
"Law ??? 😂😂😂"
More Briefly News stories on education
- Reddit debate asks whether South African universities are tougher than US colleges, as a lecturer weighs rigour, rankings, study costs and overseas tuition.
- South African medical students joyfully mark six years of training in a viral video, singing and dancing in scrubs as viewers praise their hard work.
- South African parents made a homemade rainbow-coloured video to rival Ms Rachel and captivate their toddler, earning praise on TikTok for creative parenting.
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Source: Briefly News
