Category Archives: Households

All the single ladies, put your hands up!

All the single ladies, put your hands up!

Single ladies, if you’re wondering why your man hasn’t proposed yet, perhaps he’s waiting to turn 37? According to a report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Marriages and Divorces, 2019, the median age of bridegrooms increased from 36 years in 2015 to 37 years in 2019. Similarly, the age of brides increased from   read more »


10,1 million SA learners walk all the way to their educational institution

10,1 million SA learners walk all the way to their educational institution

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), 2020 results shows that ‘walking all the way’ remained the mode of travel that was most used by learners to reach their educational institution in all nine provinces. The survey, released by Statistics South Africa in collaboration with the Department of Transport, reports that about 10,1 million learners walked   read more »


Measuring the progress of development in SA

Measuring the progress of development in SA

The General Household Survey, 2019, which tracks the progress of development and identifies persistent service delivery gaps in South Africa, was recently released by Statistics South Africa. Now in its eighteenth year, the survey has yielded a rich set of information across a wide variety of fields such as education, health, disability, social security, housing,   read more »


Inflation edges up as food and drink prices bite

Inflation edges up as food and drink prices bite

Annual consumer inflation hit a seven-month high in October, driven largely by rising prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Headline inflation was 3,3%, the biggest annual rise since March when the rate was 4,1%. The monthly increase in October was 0,3%, edging up from 0,2% recorded in both September and August. Food and drink inflation   read more »


Baking bad during lockdown

Baking bad during lockdown

You’ve waited too long. Your friends have tried it, you’ve seen the videos, you’re feeling the FOMO. You roll up your sleeves – it is time to bake your own lockdown bread. The kitchen is ready. The ingredients are all set out. Two cups of boiling water – check! Instant yeast, brown sugar, salt, flour   read more »


GDP falls by 2,0%

GDP falls by 2,0%

The South African economy recorded its third consecutive quarter of economic decline, falling by 2,0% (seasonally adjusted and annualised) in the first quarter of 2020.1 This followed a contraction of -1,4% and -0,8% in the fourth and third quarters of 2019, respectively. The results presented here cover the period 1 January 2020 to 31 March   read more »


Housebreaking is the number one crime in SA

Housebreaking is the number one crime in SA

There were about 1,3 million incidences of housebreaking affecting 5,8% of households in South Africa. The most likely victims of housebreaking were male-headed households, households in metros, Indian/Asian households followed by white households, very low and very high-income households, and households in Northern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Approximately 48% of affected households reported incidences to   read more »


Municipal bucket toilet use continues to decline

Municipal bucket toilet use continues to decline

The number of consumer units using municipal bucket toilets fell from 60 557 in 2017 to 42 612 in 2018. This represents a 29,6% decrease in a single year, according to the latest Non-financial census of municipalities report. In 2014, the total was 85 718. The bucket toilets1 mentioned here are those that municipalities provide to communities located   read more »


Household access to services stabilised

Household access to services stabilised

The General Household Survey (GHS) 2018 released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) found that substantial progress has been made in service delivery over the years. While progress has been uneven across the country, a quick glance at service delivery statistics suggests that household access to these services have stabilised over the last few years.   read more »


Four facts about indigent households

Four facts about indigent households

If South Africa were a suburb of 100 households, 22 would be beneficiaries of government’s indigent programme. Stats SA’s recent Non-financial census of municipalities provides insight into those households that struggle to afford access to basic services.   Fact 1: 22% of households are classified as indigent In 2001 South Africa adopted a policy intended   read more »