IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

The South African economy grew by 2,0% in the third quarter of 2017 (seasonally adjusted and annualised), down from a revised 2,8% in the second quarter. Agriculture, mining and manufacturing were the main drivers of the expansion, while there was a contraction in general government services resulting from low employment numbers in the public sector.   read more »

“Better lives with better economic statistics.” This is the theme for African Statistics Day 2017, taking place on 18 November. In celebration of this prestigious day, Stats SA explores the archives to find four facts on the South African economy that you might have missed. African Statistics Day was initiated by the United Nations to   read more »

Recent data released by Stats SA show that public-sector capital expenditure has risen over the last five years, from a total of R203 billion in 2012 to R284 billion in 2016; an average rise of 8,7% per year. Over R1,2 trillion was spent during this five-year period. Well-maintained infrastructure facilitates trade, improves connectivity, attracts investment,   read more »

The recent power blackout in Msunduzi municipality again highlights the importance of electricity supply. Large parts of Pietermaritzburg were plunged into darkness for about a week when saboteurs, suspected to be striking workers, disrupted the city’s power grid2. It might be common knowledge that municipalities are involved in power distribution in South Africa, but many   read more »

  Press statement                         Embargo: Tuesday 6 June 2017, 11:30   GDP in the first quarter of 2017 contracted by 0,7%   Gross domestic product (measured by production)   South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate was -0,7% in the first quarter of 2017.1 The largest negative contributor to growth in GDP in the first   read more »

Media advisory                                                                                                             read more »

It might be surprising to learn that the ICT sector is larger than the agriculture industry. This is one of the findings from Stats SA’s latest Information and communication technology satellite account for South Africa report. The document covers ICT’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP), its role in imports and exports, and its   read more »

Media Release                                                                                                                    07 April 2017   QUARTERLY EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS, Q4 2016   The current QES survey results are based on a sample drawn from the 2016 Business Sampling Frame (BSF) and therefore the previous trend has been revised to reflect the current growth in the business register.   Employment for the quarter ending December 2016   read more »

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                              6 April 2017   Formal sector employment statistics for the fourth quarter of 2016 to be released on Friday, 7 April 2017 on the Stats SA website   Statistics South Africa will tomorrow (Friday, 7 April 2017) release the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) for the fourth quarter of 2016 on its website (www.statssa.gov.za).   read more »

The September 2016 QES survey showed that an estimated 9 282 000 persons were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy. This reflected a net quarterly increase of 93 000 employees (1,0%) between June 2016 and September 2016 following a revised decrease of 96 000 employees (-1,0%) between March 2016 and   read more »