Provincial government plays a vital role in the administration of the country’s health and education systems, responsible for providing basic education to learners and healthcare to those in need. These two mammoth tasks take up the bulk of provincial government spending. In the 2019/20 fiscal year, total provincial government expenditure was R628,8 billion. Education was the   read more »

There are a small number of healthcare institutions that fall in the extra-budgetary accounts and funds (EBAs) arm of government. You may have heard of the South African Medical Research Council and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority in media coverage of COVID-19. A recent report by Stats SA provides pre-COVID-19 financial data for   read more »

You can consider yourself one of the lucky few if you have medical aid. According to the latest General Household Survey, only 17 in 100 South Africans have medical insurance, the essential key that opens the door to private healthcare. As many as 45 million, or 82 out of every 100 South Africans, fall outside   read more »

South Africa is part of the consortium of nations that signed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015. The aim of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Target 3.6 was to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030. However, results of a   read more »

South Africa has made strides in terms of registration of births. The results of a report, Estimating the completeness of birth registration in South Africa, 2002–2016, indicates that the number of registered births were high and on an increasing trajectory. There has been a significant increase in the number of children registered within the first   read more »

South Africa’s economy grew by a marginal 0,1%1 in the fourth quarter (October–December), taking the annual growth rate for 2023 to 0,6%. Real gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter was R1 158 billion. This is above the pre-COVID-19 reading of R1 150 billion, but still below the peak of R1 161 billion recorded in the third quarter   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 »

Access to government services is a cornerstone of any well-functioning society. In the realm of governance, the relationship between access to government services, levels of trust in government and public institutions, and individual experiences of corruption significantly impacts the overall well-being of a society. These factors are integral to the effectiveness and legitimacy of a   read more »

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as a major global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. A new report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Non-communicable diseases: Findings from death notifications (2008-2018), explores the changing landscape of NCDs in South Africa over time, highlighting key trends and insights. Data from the World Health Organization   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 »