The South African economy shrinks by 0,7%
The South African economy moved into recession with the reported decrease of 0,7% in GDP during the first quarter of 2017, following a 0,3% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2016. Using the widely accepted measure of ‘recession’ as two (or more) consecutive quarters of negative growth (real GDP quarter-on-quarter), this means that South Africa read more »
Three facts about the ICT sector
It might be surprising to learn that the ICT sector is larger than the agriculture industry. This is one of the findings from Stats SA’s latest Information and communication technology satellite account for South Africa report. The document covers ICT’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP), its role in imports and exports, and its read more »
Stats Biz – April 2017
Stats SA recently released updated GDP figures for the nine provinces. Gauteng is still the largest provincial economy in the country, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. Mining is the most dominant industry in Limpopo, Northern Cape, North West and Mpumalanga, despite contributing only 8% to national economic production. Explore the makeup of your provincial read more »
Your job, your economy, your province
Kathu has a story to tell. Located in the rural expanse of the Northern Cape, this small town owes its existence almost entirely to iron ore. The streets, the businesses that line them, and the eleven thousand people that call Kathu home, all draw their economic lifeblood from Sishen, one of the largest open-pit mines read more »
Seasonal adjustment: a short primer
Stats SA has, for the first time, included seasonally adjusted data in its Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities. What is seasonal adjustment? Why is it significant? Stats SA breaks it down for you. South Africa’s 257 municipalities play a vital role. Not only do they interact with citizens at a local level, but they are read more »
Mining: a brief history
The 1970s are best remembered for disco, bell-bottoms, and the mesmerising lava lamp. It was also the decade that saw South African mining forge ahead in its influence on the economy and employment. How has the economy in general, and mining in particular, shifted since then? Mining’s contribution to total economic production climbed in the read more »
The economy shrinks in the fourth quarter of 2016
A fall in mining and manufacturing production in the final quarter of 2016 pulled South African economic growth into negative territory, according to preliminary figures of gross domestic product (GDP) released by Stats SA. South Africa’s economy contracted by 0,3% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted and annualised). The mining industry’s 11,5%1 drop in production was the main read more »
A tale of three economies in Africa
One of many comparisons between countries is the size of their economies. In the recent past, a number of people noted that Nigeria had overtaken South Africa as the largest economy on the African continent. Subsequently, articles were written about South Africa being pushed into third place by Egypt, only to regain the silver medal read more »
Tourism: jobs, the economy and spending
Despite a drop in the number of tourists visiting South Africa, the tourism industry continued to create jobs in 2015. Stats SA’s latest release of its Tourism Satellite Account for South Africa report provides an overview of tourism’s contribution in terms of employment, its impact on the gross domestic product (GDP) and spending. The number read more »
How did the economy perform in the third quarter of 2016?
Local government elections, increased mining of iron ore, water restrictions and reduced electricity consumption. Find out more about these, as well as other factors, that influenced economic growth in the third quarter. The South African economy grew by 0,2%1 quarter-on-quarter (compared with 3,5% in the second quarter), according to estimates of real gross domestic product. read more »