There is so much need but not enough money. Often faced with hard decisions on where to allocate scarce resources, governments usually have their own unique spending priorities. The South African government spent R2 187 billion (or R2,19 trillion) in the 2021/2022 fiscal year. This was R83 billion more than the R2 104 billion recorded in 2020/2021. Stats SA’s Financial statistics   read more »

Stats SA published 25 statistical releases in October. Here is a quick overview of key economic indicators shaping the South African economy. Consumer inflation rises for a second consecutive month Inflation worries were stoked once again in September. The consumer price index (CPI), which reflects the changes in prices of a representative basket of goods   read more »

Extra-budgetary accounts and funds (EBAs) involved in the transport sector increased their spending in the 2021/22 fiscal year. However, despite the rise, expenditure is still below pre-pandemic levels. South Africa’s 256 EBAs are public institutions. They form an important arm of general government, responsible for delivering services to the public on behalf of government. Examples   read more »

One of the important tasks of national government is to redistribute funds, mainly received from taxes, to other sectors of the economy. These transfers serve a financial lifeline to diverse groups which includes households, public corporations, local and international organisations, and other levels of government. Key areas of spending On the revenue side, national government   read more »

South African government spending broke the R2 trillion mark in the 2020/21 financial year. Large increases in expenditure were recorded for social protection, health, and general public services as the country battled the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, total revenue declined on the back of lower taxes received. The Financial statistics of consolidated general government   read more »

South Africa’s 122 provincial government departments spent R613,6 billion in 2020/21, according to the latest Financial statistics of provincial government statistical release. This is R16,9 billion more than the R596,8 billion recorded in 2019/20, representing a rise of 2,8%.1 The 2,8% rise is muted compared with the previous three years that recorded increases of around 7,0%. A closer   read more »

Total South African government spending flirted with the R2 trillion mark in the 2019/20 financial year, according to data published by Stats SA. The data, recently published in the Financial statistics of consolidated general government statistical release, covers the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a benchmark for when comparable pandemic-era data become available. The South   read more »

Stats SA has finalised a comprehensive overhaul of its national accounts. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) rebasing and benchmarking exercise has resulted in an upward revision in the size of the economy, as well as changes to the composition of the supply and demand sides of economic activity. Remaining relevant is key Any statistical   read more »

A recent release from Stats SA provides a breakdown of financial data from all 708 institutions in government. This article provides an overview of what government spent money on in 2018/19, with focus on the public service wage bill. South African general government spent R1,79 trillion in 2018/19, according to the latest Financial statistics of consolidated   read more »

Background The personal, social and economic impact of COVID-19 is unlike anything experienced by the world in the past 75 years. Stats SA is aware of the need for timely data to understand these impacts, but is equally constrained by the restrictions put in place to manage the spread of the coronavirus. The task of   read more »