Public-sector spending on infrastructure and other fixed assets continued an upward trajectory, rising to R276 billion in 2024 from R234 billion in 2023. This marks a third successive increase following a five-year downturn. Despite the positive momentum, the total remains below the peak of R283 billion in 2016. The public sector includes national government and provincial government departments,   read more »

Recently, Stats SA explored the latest data on gambling and betting activity in South Africa.1 Further to this, another set of data provides a high-level financial overview of institutions tasked with regulating the industry. Stats SA’s Financial statistics of extra-budgetary accounts and funds statistical release focuses on cash flow data for 260 public institutions referred   read more »

Gambling and betting are on the rise. Not only is this supported by data from the National Gambling Board, but it has also emerged in economic and household findings from Stats SA. The great switch The industry is booming, according to the National Gambling Board of South Africa.1 Gross gambling revenue2 was R59,3 billion in the   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                         28 January   read more »

South African households collectively spent an estimated R3 trillion between November 2022 and November 2023, with the average annual household consumption expenditure amounting to approximately R143 691 during the survey year. These findings are according to the Income & Expenditure Survey (IES) 2022/2023, published by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The survey provides valuable insights   read more »

Between 2011 and 2022, access to essential services has improved, with Census data revealing that access to clean water has increased from 85,1% to 88,5%, and improved sanitation from 68,9% to 80,7% — underscoring a decade of progress in service delivery. According to the report The State of Basic Service Delivery in South Africa: Analysis   read more »

A picture can tell an intricate story. The graphic below speaks for 257 public institutions. Figure 1 shows the distribution of revenue across South Africa’s extra-budgetary accounts and funds (EBAs). In the 2022/23 financial year, EBAs received or generated R390,2 billion in revenue, according to the latest data. EBAs play a significant role in the financial management   read more »

The primary role of South Africa’s 257 municipalities is to provide water, electricity, refuse removal, sanitation and other services to millions of households. This mammoth task requires extensive resources. Municipalities spent R532 billion in 2022. This total includes both operational1 and capital expenditure,2 published in two separate statistical releases. If we consider the Census 20223 national population   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 »

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 »