Government spending breaches R2 trillion
South African government spending broke the R2Â trillion mark in the 2020/21 financial year. Large increases in expenditure were recorded for social protection, health, and general public services as the country battled the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, total revenue declined on the back of lower taxes received. The Financial statistics of consolidated general government read more »
Government finances: Social spending jumped in 2020/21
The 254 institutions known as extra-budgetary accounts and funds (EBAs) form an important arm of government. Financial data for 2020/21 (1 April to 31 March) show a sharp rise in EBA spending as government rushed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Much of the increase was on social benefits, mainly for the COVID-19 Temporary read more »
Increase in number of out-of-school children and youth in SA in 2020
In 2021, close to 3% of 15-year-olds and nearly 9% of 17-year-olds dropped out of school. The General Household Survey, 2021, released by Statistics South Africa, indicates that although most 18- and 19-year-olds were still attending secondary school, almost three out of 10 pupils aged 18 years (29,3%) and 4 out of 9 (46,3%) of read more »
What do South African households look like?
In 2021, South Africa had a population of approximately 60,5 million people. Although some South Africans resided in institutions such as hospitals and old age homes, SA had an estimated 18 million households, with an average household size of 3,34 persons. A quick glance at the General Household Survey, 2021 (GHS) released by Statistics South read more »
Pre-lockdown business profits fall to their lowest level in 14 years
Net profit before tax in the formal business sector tumbled by 33,4% in the financial year 2020 compared with 2019, with business services and manufacturing the hardest hit. The data, from Stats SA’s latest Annual financial statistics (AFS) survey1 , which mostly covers the period before the lockdown, show that total net profit before tax read more »
A new and improved GDP is here!
Stats SA has finalised a comprehensive overhaul of its national accounts. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) rebasing and benchmarking exercise has resulted in an upward revision in the size of the economy, as well as changes to the composition of the supply and demand sides of economic activity. Remaining relevant is key Any statistical read more »
Municipal dependence on national government financing
What makes Stats SA’s Financial census of municipalities report so interesting is that it provides an idea of how financially dependent municipalities are on national government. The latest data show that the share of income that municipalities generate on their own has increased slightly since 2017, but there is more to this finding than meets read more »
An update on municipal finances for the quarter ending June 2020
Even though South Africa’s 257 municipalities increased their spending in the quarter ended June 2020, the rise was slower than increases recorded in previous quarters. Spending increases by 4,6% Local government spent R105,9 billion in the quarter ended June 2020, up by R4,6 billion (or 4,6%) compared with the quarter ended June 2019, according to the latest read more »
An update to municipal spending and revenue (March 2020)
Local government increased spending by 12,2% over the last year, driven largely by increased spending on employee costs. South Africa’s 257 municipalities spent R96,8 billion in the quarter ended March 2020 on operational costs, up from R86,3 billion in the quarter ended March 2019. This excludes capital spending. The latest Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities report shows read more »
HOW UNEQUAL IS SOUTH AFRICA?
South Africa is known as one of the most unequal countries in the world, reporting a per-capita expenditure Gini coefficient of 0,67 in 2006, dropping to 0,65 in 2015. This is according to the Inequality Trends in South Africa report released by Stats SA. According to the Palma ratio, the top 10% of the population read more »