IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

After rebounding by a revised 3,2%1 in the second quarter of 2019, activity in the South African economy slipped slightly in the third quarter. Mining, manufacturing and transport were the biggest drags on growth in gross domestic product (GDP). Mining was down by 6,1%, driven largely by a fall in the production of platinum group   read more »

South Africa enjoys a positive tourism trade balance with the rest of the world. What this means is that non-resident visitors spend more money in our country than South African travellers spend abroad. However, the trade balance surplus has narrowed since 2016. In 2018, non-resident visitors1 (which includes both tourists and same-day visitors) spent a   read more »

Stats SA provides a snapshot of working capital across the formal business sector in the latest release of the Annual Financial Statistics (AFS) report. Working capital is a measure of a company’s liquidity and is one of a number of measures that provide insight into a company’s ability to pay off debt. To calculate working   read more »

The South African government spent 7,3% more in 2017/18 than it did in 2016/17. The rise was largely driven by general public services, education and health. This pushed total government spending up to R1,71 trillion1 in 2017/18, R116 billion more than the R1,59 trillion spent in 2016/17. This is according to the latest Financial statistics of consolidated general   read more »

Annual consumer inflation continued its downward streak, dropping to 3,7% in October from 4,1% in September. October’s reading is the lowest since February 2011 when the annual rate was also 3,7%. Consumers can breathe a sigh of relief at this news, as the prices of many goods and services are increasing at a much slower   read more »

Like many countries around the world, South Africa has faced many socio-economic challenges over the years. Emphasis has been placed on improving the lives of citizens by targeting poverty, inequality and unemployment. A recently released report by Statistics South Africa, in partnership with Agence Francaise de Développement (AFD), Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit   read more »

Public-sector investment in the nation’s infrastructure slowed for a second consecutive year, falling by 8,2% in 2018. This followed a 4,0% decline in 2017. These decreases have seen public-sector capital expenditure slip to a level last seen in 2014. Capital expenditure is money that institutions spend to buy, maintain or upgrade fixed assets such as   read more »

South Africa’s unemployment rate increased by 0,1 of a percentage point to 29,1% in Q3 of 2019. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa, this is the highest unemployment rate since Stats SA started measuring unemployment using the QLFS in 2008. Between Q2: 2019 and Q3: 2019, the number   read more »

South Africa’s 26 higher education institutions spent R40 billion on compensation of employees in the 2018 financial year. That represents 61% of total spending1, according to the latest Financial statistics of higher education institutions report. This includes line items such as salaries and wages, pension benefits, medical aid, and bonuses. Higher education spending has been in   read more »

South African annual consumer inflation slowed in September, falling to 4,1% from 4,3% recorded in August. The inflation rate has hovered between 4% and 5% since December last year and has been below 4,5% for the past three months. More significantly, it has remained below the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) 6% monetary policy ceiling   read more »