Empty stomachs, empty classrooms: Investment in school feeding schemes The South African government spent R8,4 billion in 2022/23 on its nationwide school feeding scheme. Recent data provides a provincial breakdown, as well as how this spending has shifted over the years. South Africa’s school-nutrition programme In 1994, the South African government established the National School Nutrition   read more »

Statistics South Africa’s Governance, Public Safety, and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2023/24 reveals a decline in the sense of safety among individuals walking in their neighbourhoods during the day and at night since 2019/20. Respondents were asked how safe they felt walking in their neighbourhoods alone during the day and when it was dark. The sense   read more »

Real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by a marginal 0,1% in the first quarter (January–March) of 2024.1 This followed a revised 0,3% increase in the fourth quarter of 2023. Weaker manufacturing, mining and construction drove much of the downward momentum on the production (supply) side of the economy, while the expenditure (demand) side witnessed a   read more »

Annual consumer inflation quickened in February, rising to 5,6% from 5,3% in January and 5,1% in December. Product categories that drove much of the upward momentum include housing & utilities, miscellaneous goods & services (most notably, insurance), food and non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) and transport. A 10,3% month-on-month increase in medical aid premiums (in the miscellaneous   read more »

After two consecutive months of decline, annual consumer inflation crept up in January, rising to 5,3% from 5,1% in December. The monthly change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 0,1% in January. The categories in the CPI basket with the largest annual price increases were restaurants & hotels at 8,0%, food & non-alcoholic beverages   read more »

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q3:2023) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector increased by 31 000 in the third quarter of 2023, bringing the level of employment to almost 10,2 million. The survey showed that 256 000 jobs were added between September 2022 and September   read more »

Live birth statistics provide a crucial glimpse into the dynamics of human populations, offering valuable insights into demographics, healthcare trends, and societal changes. Understanding live birth statistics is not merely an exercise in number-crunching; it is a gateway to comprehending the health and wellbeing of populations. The data on Recorded Live Births indicates that the   read more »

In September 2023, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) published the results of a number of monthly surveys, which are based on new samples. These are: P3041.2 – Manufacturing: Production and sales; P6141.2 – Wholesale trade sales; P6242.1 – Retail trade sales; P6343.2 – Motor trade sales; P6410 – Tourist accommodation; P6420 – Food and beverages;   read more »

In 2021, about 2,1 million (11,6%) of South African households reported experiencing hunger.   South Africa faces challenges ranging from high unemployment and poverty to the ongoing energy crisis and rising costs of living. These impact negatively on South Africa’s state of food security by making food expensive and inaccessible to many and increasing the   read more »

Annual consumer inflation rose for the first time in four months, edging to 7,0% in February from 6,9% in January. Food and non-alcoholic beverages and transport were the main contributors to the inflation rate in February. The consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0,7% between January and February, representing the largest monthly increase since July   read more »