The new inflation basket: what’s in and what’s out
Stats SA recently announced changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket of goods and services. The changes provide interesting insight into how consumer spending patterns have shifted over the last four years. The basket forms the basis from which the monthly CPI is calculated. There are 412 products and services in the new basket, read more »
Do men buy more clothing than women?
On average, male-headed households spend more on clothing and footwear than female-headed households (R5Â 343 and R4Â 364 per annum in 2015, respectively). This is just one of the findings from the Living Conditions Survey (LCS), released by Statistics South Africa recently. The LCS was conducted between October 2014 and October 2015. The results of this household read more »
Media Invite: Living Conditions Survey /New weights CPI basket
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 17 January 2017 Release of the Living Conditions Survey and the new weights for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will release the results of the Living Conditions Survey (LCS) 2014/2015 and the new weights for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Friday, 27 January 2017 at read more »
Tuition fee trends over time: what do the data show?
In a previous article, Stats SA outlined the importance of tuition fees – as a portion of total income – to the financial security of higher education institutions (HEIs)1 for the 2015 financial year. In this article, we provide a 10-year perspective of tuition fees to assess the significance of this source of HEI income. read more »
Mbalo Brief – November 2016
Severe thunderstorms resulting in heavy rainfall and flash flooding have hit parts of Gauteng since 9 November 2016. According to South African Weather Services (SAWS), areas that were mostly affected were the City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan municipalities. The flash flooding (a sudden flood in a low-lying area commonly caused by periods of heavy read more »
Mbalo Brief – October 2016
Many thought that the year 2015 would go down in history as a year second only to 1976 in the way that students took to the streets in a stand against something they did not agree with (through the Fees Must Fall movement). However, in September 2016, a resurgence of the movement was ushered in. read more »
Media Statement: Statistics South Africa to make changes to CPI basket and weights
Media Statement                                                                                  21 September 2016 Statistics South Africa to make changes to CPI basket and weights Statistics South Africa today announced that it would make changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket of goods and services, and the weights attached to these, with effect from the January 2017 release of the CPI. read more »
The secret life of a slab of chocolate
You might celebrate World Chocolate Day today (7 July) by sitting back and feasting on your favourite slab of sugary goodness. At Stats SA, we love our chocolate. But we also love data and all things statistical. So, to honour today, we’ve teased out a few facts about the price of chocolate that you, as read more »
South Africa’s CPI reveals how volatile inflation hurts the poorest
Patrick Kelly, Executive Manager for Price Statistics, provides some insights into how inflation affects the most vulnerable. The combined effect of the severe drought and the depreciation of the rand drove annual food inflation to 9,8% in March, its highest level in four years. Periods of high food inflation often spark an outpouring of concern read more »
Stats Biz – April 2016
Many have commented on South Africa’s drought and how rapidly food prices have been rising. The latest release of Stats SA’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) unpacks the South African food basket to examine which items might be contributing to your rising grocery bill. Explore food prices, as well as other economic stories, in this edition read more »