South Africa’s economy grew by 1,5% in 2014, down from 2,2% in 2013, according to preliminary estimates of real gross domestic product (GDP) released by Stats SA. Eight of the ten industry groups experienced some growth during the year, while two industries shrank in size. The industry that grew the fastest in 2014 was agriculture1,   read more »

There were 127 032 non-profit institutions (NPIs) in 2014, according to a report released by Stats SA. Sourcing data from the Department of Social Development (DSD), the report offers an overview of the non-profit sector in South Africa, providing information on the various roles in which NPIs are involved, their income sources, and what they spend   read more »

Annual CPI inflation dropped to 4,4% in January 2015 from 5,3% in December 2014, the lowest since April 2011, when the CPI stood at 4,2%. Key drivers pulling the CPI down were petrol and food. The 127c/l drop in the price of petrol in January further contributed to the decline in the CPI for petrol,   read more »

Less electricity was generated in South Africa in 2014 compared with 2013. Recent data show that national electricity production has been in decline after peaking in 2011, highlighting the country’s continued struggle to keep the lights on. The latest Electricity produced and available for distribution publication, released by Stats SA on Thursday, 5 February 2014,   read more »

The 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death release shows that HIV disease has moved from being ranked sixth in 2012 to being ranked third in 2013. Of the 458 933 deaths registered at the Department of Home Affairs in 2013 and processed by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), 5,1% were due to HIV disease, an increase   read more »

Sharp decreases in the prices of manufactured petroleum products drove producer inflation down, from 6,5% year-on-year in November to 5,8% in December. However, there were noticeable increases in year-on-year prices for meat, tobacco and dairy products. Stats SA’s latest Producer Price Index publication, released on Thursday, 29 January 2015, shows that prices for final manufactured   read more »

Despite growing concern over the current state of the economy, recent data show that fewer companies closed down in 2014 compared to 2013. The good news is that this is a trend that has been happening for some time. According to the latest Statistics of liquidations and insolvencies report, released by Stats SA on Monday   read more »

Annual CPI inflation dropped to 5,3% in December 2014 from 5,8% in November 2014. Petrol and food prices, which are key drivers of changes in the CPI, both showed lower annual inflation rates. Food inflation continued its slowing trend with a 7,4% annual rate compared to 7,7% in November 2014. The main drivers of the   read more »

The September 2014 Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) report, released on 11 December 2014, shows that total formal non-agricultural employment decreased by 129 000 jobs from 8,67 million in June 2014 to 8,54 million in September 2014. 132 000 jobs were lost in the government sector. The main contributor to this decline was the Independent Electoral   read more »

With the current electricity supply problems gripping the country, some comfort can be drawn from recent financial data that indicates intensive investment in infrastructure by players in the electricity, gas and water supply industry. The recently published Quarterly financial statistics report, which provides a range of financial statistics on industries in the South African economy,   read more »