Mpumalanga Community Survey 2016 results   The total population recorded for Mpumalanga in 2016 was 4,4 million, an increase from the population of 4,1 million in 2011, making it the fourth smallest province in the country in terms of population size, after the North West. 49,3% of the population in the province are male   read more »

6 June 2016 Statistician-General releases the results of the non-financial census of municipalities for 2015 The Statistician-General of South Africa, Dr Pali Lehohla, will release the Non-financial census of municipalities for the year ended June 2015 (NFCM) statistical release at a media briefing to be held on Tuesday, 07 June 2016. The NFCM measures selected   read more »

Next time you dig into a delicious plate of fish and chips, take a moment to ponder the value of seafood as a natural resource. Stats SA’s latest Environmental Economic Accounts Compendium provides estimates of quantities of fish available in our oceans, as well as data on catch numbers. The oceans that straddle the Southern   read more »

How did South Africa’s major minerals do last year? With mining recently under the spotlight, Stats SA’s latest Mining: Production and sales release provides an overview of mining performance in 2015. The mining industry performed better in 2015 than it did in 2014. Annual mining production was up by 3,5% in 2015, following a drop   read more »

The 132,2% year-on-year rise in platinum group metal (PGM) production in March 2015 pushed overall mining production up by 18,8%, the second highest year-on-year increase since January 1980. It would be tempting to celebrate in response to the pronounced rise in PGM production, but a closer look at the data tells a more sober story.   read more »

South Africa’s natural resources in the spotlight The natural environment provides resources that drive the economy and other human activities. Stats SA recently released estimates on the amount of energy, mineral and fishery resources available in South Africa, and the extent to which these are being consumed. The following are three interesting observations from the   read more »

Monthly gold production reached a new monthly low in January, according to data released by Stats SA1. Although a number of temporary factors might have contributed to the unusually low level, general historical trends show that gold has lost the prominent place it once had in the South African economy. Stats SA has published comparable   read more »

Less electricity was generated in South Africa in 2014 compared with 2013. Recent data show that national electricity production has been in decline after peaking in 2011, highlighting the country’s continued struggle to keep the lights on. The latest Electricity produced and available for distribution publication, released by Stats SA on Thursday, 5 February 2014,   read more »

Mining production decreased by 6,5% year-on-year in May 2014. The largest negative growth rates were recorded for Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) (-48,5%), ‘other’ non-metallic minerals (-13,3%) and building materials (-11,7%). The main contributor to the 6,5% decrease was PGMs (contributing -10,4 percentage points). Iron ore was a significant positive contributor (contributing 3,1 percentage points). The   read more »