Consumer inflation cooled in March
Following a two-month upswing, headline inflation softened to 5,3% in March from 5,6% in February. The rate has held its ground between 5% and 6% since September 2023. The monthly change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 0,8% in March. This is lower than the 1,0% increase in February. The biggest movers in March The read more »
Road transport accident deaths on the increase in SA
South Africa is part of the consortium of nations that signed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015. The aim of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Target 3.6 was to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030. However, results of a read more »
Inflation heats up for a second consecutive month
Annual consumer inflation quickened in February, rising to 5,6% from 5,3% in January and 5,1% in December. Product categories that drove much of the upward momentum include housing & utilities, miscellaneous goods & services (most notably, insurance), food and non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) and transport. A 10,3% month-on-month increase in medical aid premiums (in the miscellaneous read more »
Progress in birth registration levels in SA
South Africa has made strides in terms of registration of births. The results of a report, Estimating the completeness of birth registration in South Africa, 2002–2016, indicates that the number of registered births were high and on an increasing trajectory. There has been a significant increase in the number of children registered within the first read more »
Economic growth muted as 2023 draws to a close
South Africa’s economy grew by a marginal 0,1%1 in the fourth quarter (October–December), taking the annual growth rate for 2023 to 0,6%. Real gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter was R1 158 billion. This is above the pre-COVID-19 reading of R1 150 billion, but still below the peak of R1 161 billion recorded in the third quarter read more »
Lifting the veil on violence against children in South Africa
A report released by Statistics South Africa titled Child Series Volume II: Crime Against Children shows that rape cases for children increased by 6,3 percentage points between 2015/16 and 2019/20, whilst both common assault and assault with grievous bodily harm (GBH) decreased by 2,1 and 3,5 percentage points respectively. Moreover, sexual assault cases for children read more »
Consumer inflation inches higher in January
After two consecutive months of decline, annual consumer inflation crept up in January, rising to 5,3% from 5,1% in December. The monthly change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 0,1% in January. The categories in the CPI basket with the largest annual price increases were restaurants & hotels at 8,0%, food & non-alcoholic beverages read more »
Inflation eases for a second consecutive month
Annual consumer price inflation pulled back in December, easing to 5,1% from 5,5% in November and 5,9% in October. The consumer price index (CPI) was unchanged month-on-month in December. Inflation was softer in the second half of 2023 The December release concludes the results for 2023. The average inflation rate for the year was 6,0%, read more »
The shift in government spending patterns over time
There is so much need but not enough money. Often faced with hard decisions on where to allocate scarce resources, governments usually have their own unique spending priorities. The South African government spent R2 187 billion (or R2,19 trillion) in the 2021/2022 fiscal year. This was R83 billion more than the R2 104 billion recorded in 2020/2021. Stats SA’s Financial statistics read more »
Almost one million births registered at DHA offices in 2022
Live birth statistics provide a crucial glimpse into the dynamics of human populations, offering valuable insights into demographics, healthcare trends, and societal changes. Understanding live birth statistics is not merely an exercise in number-crunching; it is a gateway to comprehending the health and wellbeing of populations. The data on Recorded Live Births indicates that the read more »