Post the apartheid era (1994), the Nobel Peace prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu nicknamed South Africa a “Rainbow Nation” as a reference to the diversity of the country’s population; and also a way of encouraging the unity of the different people of the country following decades of racial division, ethnic segregation and language discrimination. South   read more »

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will host the 28th International Population Conference (IPC) on behalf of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 29 October to 04 November 2017. We invite your organisation to participate in the conference by sponsoring or advertising your   read more »

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After two consecutive quarters of decline, the South African economy spluttered back to life in the second quarter of 2017. Positive contributions to higher economic activity across most industries – in particular agriculture, finance and mining – lifted the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2,5% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted and annualised). Agriculture continued to show strong   read more »

South African households spend more on beer than they do on vegetables, according to data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) release. Beer accounts for 2,1% of total household spending, higher than the 1,5% that is spent on vegetables. How does spending on beer compare to other products such as tobacco and sweets? Explore household   read more »

It goes without saying that the natural environment is extremely important to our well-being. Take our rivers and wetlands, for example. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), together with Stats SA and other departments, published a document in 2015 outlining the health of the country’s river and wetland systems. The data do not provide   read more »

  Media Release                                                                                                        22 August 2017 Poverty Trends in South Africa: An examination of absolute poverty between 2006 & 2015 The proportion of the population living in poverty declined from 66,6% (31,6 million persons) in 2006 to 53,2% (27,3 million) in 2011, but increased to   read more »

Poverty on the rise in South Africa According to new data released by Stats SA, poverty is on the rise in South Africa. The latest “Poverty Trends in South Africa” report shows that, despite the general decline in poverty between 2006 and 2011, poverty levels in South Africa rose in 2015. More than half of   read more »

Every year, South Africa commemorates Women’s Month in August as a tribute to the thousands of women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. While making their way there, they sang a protest song that was composed in honour of the occasion:   read more »