55,9 million people in South Africa:  Planning for a better tomorrow The population of South Africa is estimated to be 55, 9 million by end June 2016. Between 2002 and 2016 South Africa experienced a positive population growth year on year. Between 2002 and 2016, there was an overall increase in Life expectancy (55,2 to   read more »

How well have South African businesses performed? This can be a complicated question that can be tackled with a range of indicators. From the wealth of financial data available from the recently published Quarterly Financial Statistics (QFS), Stats SA takes a look at one such indicator: the profit margin ratio.   A limitation of financial   read more »

You might celebrate World Chocolate Day today (7 July) by sitting back and feasting on your favourite slab of sugary goodness. At Stats SA, we love our chocolate. But we also love data and all things statistical. So, to honour today, we’ve teased out a few facts about the price of chocolate that you, as   read more »

Stats SA distinguishes between various types of construction activities, including free-standing houses, townhouses, flats, offices and shopping space. The following infographic shows which of these are the most costly to build, according to Stats SA’s latest Selected building statistics of the private sector as reported by local government institutions. Nationally, it would cost you an   read more »

Municipalities spend more money on their employees than on any one of the services provided to their clients/customers. Data from Stats SA’s latest Financial census of municipalities provides interesting insight into the patterns of salary costs across municipalities, as well as over time. Salary patterns across space Employee-related costs took up the largest chunk of   read more »

A sharp contraction in mining tipped economic growth into negative territory in the first quarter of 2016. South Africa’s economy shrank by 1,2% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted and annualised), according to the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures published by Stats SA. Year-on-year growth for the same quarter was -0,2%. The supply side of the economy:   read more »

MEDIA INVITE 20 May 2016 The Statistician-General of South Africa, Dr Pali Lehohla, will release a report on the findings of the General Household Survey, 2015. The survey provides the latest statistics on education, health, the labour market, dwellings, access to services and facilities, transport, and the quality of life in South Africa. The media   read more »

Patrick Kelly, Executive Manager for Price Statistics, provides some insights into how inflation affects the most vulnerable. The combined effect of the severe drought and the depreciation of the rand drove annual food inflation to 9,8% in March, its highest level in four years. Periods of high food inflation often spark an outpouring of concern   read more »

MEDIA ADVISORY 10 May 2016 The Statistician-General of South Africa, Dr Pali Lehohla, will release a report on Development in the rural and urban nodes between 2001 and 2011, at a media briefing to be held on Thursday 12, May 2016. The report presents the state of development in rural and urban nodes with regards   read more »

Despite rising interest rates and worsening economic conditions, South Africans seem to be coping with their debt. Data from the South African Reserve Bank and Stats SA’s Statistics of civil cases for debt release indicates some resilience on the part of South African debtors. The South African Reserve Bank hiked the repo rate twice in   read more »