The percentage of households in South Africa without access to an improved source of sanitation has decreased consistently over the past decade. The latest General Household Survey (GHS) found that the percentage of households with access to improved sanitation, that is flush toilets or pit toilets with ventilation pipes, has increased consistently from 62,3% in   read more »

Misinformation and hearsay have the power to influence an economy. Thousands of civil servants resigned from their posts in 2014 and early 2015 in response to rumours about proposed pension reforms. The economic effect was large enough to be seen in recent gross domestic product (GDP) data released by Stats SA. The government services sector   read more »

If you drive a car or enjoy a regular glass of wine, February’s National Budget Speech would have had an impact on your cost of living. The rise in sin taxes and petrol levies announced during the speech influenced prices for alcoholic beverages and petrol, contributing to April’s overall inflation rate of 4,5%. The Minister   read more »

18 May 2015 The release of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) publication for the first quarter of 2015 will be postponed to the 26th of May 2015. The release is postponed determine the impact of the implementation of a new master sample, based on the 2011 Census, on the QLFS series. The first quarter   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 »

4 May 2015 The release of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) publication for the 1st quarter of 2015 will be postponed to the 19th of May 2015.  The release is postponed to facilitate further quality assurance of the data. Ends   Issued by Statistics South Africa   For technical enquiries contact Durieux Monet Acting   read more »

It is often said that an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. A good education is worth its weight in gold, but recent figures released by Stats SA indicate that South African households will have to make more room in their budgets to pay for rising tuition fees. Stats SA updates education inflation figures   read more »

South African households spent R91,6 billion on ICT products in 2012, contributing 4,6% of total household expenditure. This is one of the findings from the Information and Communication Technology satellite account for South Africa report, which provides an overview of the economic role of the ICT sector in South Africa, in terms of household expenditure,   read more »

The tourism industry continues to play an important role in the South African economy. The latest Tourism Satellite Account for South Africa report provides an overview of tourism’s contribution in terms of spending, employment and its impact on the gross domestic product (GDP). Tourism direct GDP was R103,6 billion in 2013, rising from R93,5 billion   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 »