South Africa, a country shaped by its young population, is quietly undergoing a demographic shift that could reshape its future. While the country still has a relatively young population compared to many developed nations, declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy are steadily pushing the median age upward. As the working-age population shrinks in proportion,   read more »

Migration is reshaping South Africa’s social and economic landscape, yet behind the statistics are real people—families seeking stability, workers driving industries, and vulnerable groups at risk. South Africa’s immigrant population has seen a steady rise over the past few decades, increasing from 2,1% of the total population in 1996 to 3,9% in 2022. By 2022,   read more »

The South African economy grew by 1,4%1 in the fourth quarter of 2018, contributing to an overall growth rate of 0,8% for the entire year. The latest set of gross domestic product (GDP) figures released by Stats SA provides an overview of economic performance in 2018. South Africa found itself in economic recession in 2018,   read more »

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                                              read more »

Some good news in trying times. After two consecutive years of decline, South African businesses recorded a 49% increase in net profit before tax in financial 2017, according to Stats SA’s latest Annual financial statistics (AFS) survey. The mining industry was the largest contributor to this rise. The success of a business generally depends on   read more »

With concerns over job losses in major industries, the tourism sector has shown some resilience in the face of a tough economic climate. In 2017, the sector had its most successful year of job creation in recent times. The tourism sector created 31 752 net new jobs in 2017.1 This is the most number of net   read more »

Media release                                                                                                              read more »

Indicative of an economy under strain, expenditure by general government increased by just 4,7% from 2015/16 to 2016/17. This is the lowest annual rise in spending on record since 2005/06, when Stats SA started publishing the current series of its Financial statistics of consolidated general government report. The latest financial data provide an updated picture   read more »

  MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                                            read more »

It might sound like an anecdote from a reminiscing grandparent, that there was a time you could completely fill your petrol tank (45 litres) with just R270. Those good old days weren’t that long ago, actually. The price of inland 95-octane petrol fell to a low of R6,01 in January 2009 on the back of tumbling   read more »