Bucket toilets remain the thorn in the flesh of several municipalities. Despite an overall decline in the use of municipal bucket toilets in 2023, some municipalities recorded an increase. The municipal provision of bucket toilets Service delivery can be measured from two different angles. The first is to approach the demand side, by collecting and   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 »

In 2024, South Africa marks 30 years of democracy—a milestone that coincides with the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994. This dual commemoration underscores the transformative power of inclusive data to shape equitable futures, the theme of this year’s World Population Day which was   read more »

In a major stride toward addressing employment challenges, South Africa has officially launched its Labour Market Information System (LMIS), a groundbreaking platform aimed at revolutionising how labour data is collected, analysed, and shared. The LMIS, unveiled in September 2024, is a collaborative effort led by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL), the International Labour   read more »

Between 2011 and 2022, access to essential services has improved, with Census data revealing that access to clean water has increased from 85,1% to 88,5%, and improved sanitation from 68,9% to 80,7% — underscoring a decade of progress in service delivery. According to the report The State of Basic Service Delivery in South Africa: Analysis   read more »

Empty stomachs, empty classrooms: Investment in school feeding schemes The South African government spent R8,4 billion in 2022/23 on its nationwide school feeding scheme. Recent data provides a provincial breakdown, as well as how this spending has shifted over the years. South Africa’s school-nutrition programme In 1994, the South African government established the National School Nutrition   read more »

Statistics South Africa’s Governance, Public Safety, and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2023/24 reveals a decline in the sense of safety among individuals walking in their neighbourhoods during the day and at night since 2019/20. Respondents were asked how safe they felt walking in their neighbourhoods alone during the day and when it was dark. The sense   read more »

Real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by a marginal 0,1% in the first quarter (January–March) of 2024.1 This followed a revised 0,3% increase in the fourth quarter of 2023. Weaker manufacturing, mining and construction drove much of the downward momentum on the production (supply) side of the economy, while the expenditure (demand) side witnessed a   read more »

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 »

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 »