Total South African government spending flirted with the R2 trillion mark in the 2019/20 financial year, according to data published by Stats SA. The data, recently published in the Financial statistics of consolidated general government statistical release, covers the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a benchmark for when comparable pandemic-era data become available. The South   read more »

On 8 October 2021, the South African government launched a digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate. The COVID-19 vaccine certificate is only available to people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The certificate is meant to enable vaccinated people to provide proof of vaccination status. The vaccination certificate will also help those who are vaccinated to attend   read more »

It might come as a surprise to learn that South Africa has data on protected land going back as far as 1900. National Parks, Nature Reserves and other types of protected areas have grown and expanded over time. In October, Stats SA – in partnership with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and other   read more »

A simple picture can tell a striking story. The bell-shaped chart below shows the rise and subsequent decline of South African public-sector infrastructure investment. Capital expenditure represents the money that is spent on construction, machinery, equipment, land, buildings and other fixed assets. This form of investment has an impact on communication, travel, logistics and the   read more »

Introduction In September 2021, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) implemented new samples for the following monthly surveys: P3041.2 – Manufacturing: Production and sales; P6141.2 – Wholesale trade sales; P6242.1 – Retail trade sales; P6343.2 – Motor trade sales; P6410 – Tourist accommodation; P6420 – Food and beverages; and P7162 – Land transport. New samples for   read more »

Annual consumer price inflation edged slightly higher to 5,0% in September from 4,9% in August and 4,6% in July. This represents the fifth consecutive month with annual inflation above the 4,5% midpoint of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy target range. The monthly change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 0,2%. Transport, food   read more »

Protected areas are national assets that serve as nodes in South Africa’s ecological infrastructure network, protecting ecosystems that deliver important services to people, such as the production of clean water, flood moderation, prevention of erosion, and the aesthetic value of the landscape. They provide a home for the country’s most iconic species as well as   read more »

A more recent aspect of NCA is ecosystem accounting, which focuses on accounting for ecosystem assets and ecosystem services. Ecosystem Accounts fall under the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA)1 Ecosystem Accounting2 framework, which provides a framework for systematic measurement of ecosystem assets, ecosystem services, and the benefits generated from ecosystem services for people and the   read more »

Stats SA has published a ten-year strategy for advancing Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) in South Africa. The purpose of the strategy is to focus the efforts of Stats SA, and relevant Departments, and other institutions on developing priority natural capital accounts to inform South Africa’s sustainable development policy objectives. The National NCA Strategy aims to   read more »

Who are the poor? Where do they live? And what are their life circumstances? This is part of the information that the expenditure year of the Continuous Population Survey (CPS) aims to collect from South African households to monitor and profile poverty and inequality levels in the country and to provide data that can be   read more »