The September 2016 QES survey showed that an estimated 9 282 000 persons were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy. This reflected a net quarterly increase of 93 000 employees (1,0%) between June 2016 and September 2016 following a revised decrease of 96 000 employees (-1,0%) between March 2016 and   read more »

Come join us as we tell a story of South African business performance over time. There are three elements to this story, taken from Stats SA’s latest Annual financial statistics (AFS) report1: income, expenditure and profit. First, let’s explore income. The income generated by the formal business2 sector has increased consistently, except for the dip   read more »

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 »

Economic growth can be reported in a number of different ways. Annual growth, quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year are terms that are commonly used in the context of gross domestic product (GDP). What do these terms mean? In preparation for Stats SA’s next release of GDP data on 6 December, this article explores the different ways in   read more »

Media release                                                                                                  24 November 2016 Annual financial statistics, 2015  The total annual turnover of private sector businesses operating in the South African economy[1] increased by 5,5% between 2014 and 2015, from a revised R7,8 trillion in 2014 to an estimated R8,3 trillion in 2015, according to the latest Annual financial statistics, 2015 report released by   read more »

With the income tax return deadline looming, you might be wondering how important your tax contributions have been. A recent report by Stats SA provides an answer. The South African government earned R1,22 trillion in income during the 2014/15 fiscal year, according to Stats SA’s latest Financial statistics of consolidated general government report1. If this   read more »

The continent is working towards attaining “the Africa we want”. Key to achieving this goal, through the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063, are quality and relevant statistics.   African Statistics Day is celebrated each year on 18 November. Africa celebrates this day to raise awareness of the importance of statistics in all aspects of   read more »

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 »

“Population is not simply a problem of numbers. The growth in Africa’s population in the last decade has not been accompanied by the necessary structural transformation nor has it translated into equitable human development and improved livelihoods,” Dr. Pali Lehohla, Statistician-General and President of the International Organising Committee.   For the first time in the   read more »

With South Africa edging swiftly towards its tourist high season, how has the industry performed in recent months? New visa rules that came into effect in October 2014, required visitors to apply for visas in person at South African embassies to record biometric information. These rules were reported to have had a negative impact on   read more »