In light of the increasing COVID-19 infections, and the move to alert level 4, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has suspended all face-to-face data collection, in order to ensure the safety of fieldworkers and respondents against the spread of the Coronavirus. Only remote data collection methods will be used, i.e. online where households complete the   read more »

Many nations measure population and economic growth. Until recently, few have paid attention to the natural environment. In June, South Africa reached another milestone in strengthening its production of environmental statistics with the release of the National Natural Capital Accounting Strategy. Explore Natural Capital Accounting, as well as other stories, in this edition of Stats   read more »

Media release                                                                                              30 June 2021 Stats SA Suspends Field Visits Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has suspend in-person data collection following new COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions. The national statistical agency had resumed limited field visits across the country in April this year after pulling out in March 2020. “All face-to-face data collection methods are   read more »

With government spending in the spotlight, new data from Stats SA provide an update on the extent and pattern of national government expenditure. The South African national government spent R1,73 trillion in 2019/20, according to the latest Financial statistics of national government report. This is 12% higher than the R1,54 trillion recorded in 2018/19. This   read more »

Jobs in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by 9 000 in the first quarter of 2021, bringing the total number of persons employed in the formal non-agricultural sector in South Africa to approximately 9,64 million. Year-on-year figures from the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q1:2021) survey, released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), show that formal   read more »

In an interview with Yahoo! News, Spanish-American chef and activist José Andrés said it best: “Food is health. Food is national security. Food is job creation. Food is economic growth.” 1 Agriculture plays a crucial role in food security, supplying the basic products that keep millions of people fed every day. In South Africa, the industry   read more »

Just over a year after Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) suspended face-toface data collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation issued a note on 26 April 2021 that the surveys are due to be undertaken. The Survey Officers (SOs) have returned to the field to collect data from households that have been selected to   read more »

According to the Tourism, 2020 report released by Statistics South Africa, foreign arrivals dropped by 71% from just over 15, 8million in 2019 to less than 5 million in 2020. It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the tourism industry quite hard around the world and in South Africa, mainly due to the lockdown   read more »

Education inflation recorded its lowest annual rate in three decades, according to data from Stats SA’s latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) release. Stats SA surveys educational institutions and crèches once a year in March. Education fees increased by 4,1% in 2021. Last year’s rise was 6,4%. Historical data shows that this is the lowest increase   read more »

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has posed some challenges on the education in South Africa and across the globe. Many learners, students, lecturers, teachers and even parents and guardians were forced to transition from the contact (physical classroom) learning environment to virtual learning. Parents and guardians instantly became teachers overnight as they had to assist   read more »