In 2014, South Africa will celebrate 20 years of a democratic dispensation. It is an opportunity to look back at where we have come from, assess where we are, and reflect on how far we have to go to ensure that all South African’s basic needs are met. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has conducted   read more »

Subdued monthly price increases led the annual Producer Price Index (PPI) for final manufactured goods (headline PPI) to drop to 6,3% in October from 6,7% in September and August 2013. The monthly figure increased by 0,5% – up slightly from the 0,4% increase in September and lower than the 0,9% in October 2012. The two   read more »

The CPI inflation rate fell for the second consecutive month in October to 5,5% from 6% in September. The drop is mainly because of lower monthly price increases, especially when compared to the same period in 2012. The monthly increase was 0,2% compared to 0,6% in October last year. The drop in the petrol price   read more »

In 1998, 78% of birth registrations were late (births not registered in the same year, e.g. a child born in 2010 is only registered in 2012). By 2012, late birth registrations had decreased to 21%. The Department of Home Affairs has made concerted efforts to ensure that registration of births is made as easy as   read more »

A new report on the living circumstances of young children shows that, while 93% of young children have both biological parents still living, only 36% of them live with both biological parents. Most young children (43%) live with only their biological mother, 2% live with their biological father only, and 19% do not live with   read more »

The 25th of November marks the beginning of the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. This is an international campaign aimed at generating an increased level of awareness relating to the incidence of violence against women and children, how it manifests itself within society and the negative impact on   read more »

Stats SA has started the Isibalo user group symposium where users of Stats SA data were invited to make presentations on how they were using official statistics for evidence based decision making. On the 4 Dec 2013, Stats SA will be hosting the first annual Isibalo Awards evening for the best presentations. We would like   read more »

Before the slump in 2008/09 due to the global recession, manufacturing performed well, recording annual growth rates of 2,9%, 4,6% and 4,2% for 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. The recovery after the recession from 2010 to 2012 was sluggish, and 2013 showed anaemic annual growth of 1,3% to date. Factory output remains far from the   read more »

Labour market dynamics in South Africa, 2012 report and National and Provincial labour market trends over the last decade, 2003–2013, report   Press Statement Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released two labour market publications on the 5th of November 2013, namely, the “Labour Market Dynamics in South Africa, 2012” , and the “National and Provincial   read more »

Employment levels at 14 million in Q3: 2013 are now back to the Q4: 2008 peak. The working age population however, has increased by 2,3 million over the period Q4: 2008 to Q3: 2013 such that the percentage of South Africans aged 15-64 years with jobs (the absorption rate) has declined from 45,0% in Q4:   read more »