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 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) underscored South Africa’s pressing labour market challenges, with unemployment remaining a top national concern. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) reports an unemployment rate of 31,9% in Q4: 2024, reflecting the continued difficulty many South Africans face in securing jobs. Beyond unemployment, time-related underemployment remains a challenge,   read more »

Stats SA started the year with 20 new releases. Key economic outputs include the conclusion of consumer inflation data for 2024, the release of a new consumer inflation basket and weights, and the much-anticipated release of the Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) report. Inflation heats up to 3,0% Consumer inflation increased for a second straight   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                         28 January   read more »

Stats SA has shaken up the basket of goods and services used to measure consumer inflation. The products in the basket are updated periodically to better reflect shifts and trends in consumer spending. Product weights are also adjusted. The reshaped basket The facelift includes adding 71 new products, removing 53 products and reorganising 29 products   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 »

Consumer inflation increased for a second consecutive month, rising to 3,0% in December from 2,9% in November and 2,8% in October. The monthly rate in December was 0,1%. Food inflation creeps higher Inflation for food & non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) was 2,5%, up from 2,3% in November. The annual rate for bread & cereals remained steady   read more »

Market share can be dominated by (and concentrated in) a few firms or shared more broadly across the economy. Concentration ratios and data on small, medium and large enterprises provide insight into the structure of our industries. Concentration ratios for selected markets The concentration ratio indicates the degree to which market share is distributed across   read more »

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q3:2024) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by 133 000 in the third quarter of 2024, bringing the level of employment to 10,6 million. According to the survey 294 000 jobs were lost between September 2023 and September 2024.   read more »