Annual consumer inflation edged up to 4,0% in December from November’s 3,6%. The main contributors to the 4,0% rate were food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing and utilities; transport; and miscellaneous goods and services. The food and non-alcoholic beverages category recorded an annual rate of 3,9%, slightly higher than the 3,5% recorded in November. Bread and   read more »

Annual consumer price inflation was 4,5% in June 2019, unchanged from May 2019. The main contributors to annual inflation were food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing and utilities; transport; and miscellaneous goods and services. Housing and utilities make up almost one quarter of the total consumer price index (CPI) in terms of weight (or relative importance).   read more »

Consumer inflation dropped to 4,0% in January 2019 from 4,5% in December 2018. This is the lowest annual rate since March 2018, when headline inflation came in at 3,8%. The actual index level is now lower than it was in October 2018, according to Stats SA’s latest Consumer Price Index release1. This means that, on average,   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE 19 March 2018 Stats SA to ensure VAT change reflected in CPI The VAT increase to 15% on 1 April will affect the price of many of the items in the Consumer price index (CPI) basket. Retailers and service providers may adopt different approaches and timeframes to pass this increase onto their customers.   read more »

Does that braai pack feel a bit expensive? If you’ve recently noticed a rise in meat prices, then you’re not alone. Let’s take a closer look at that, as well as other items in the consumer price index with inflation higher than South Africa’s inflation target of 3–6% that is used for monetary policy. In   read more »

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 »

In a previous article, Stats SA outlined the importance of tuition fees – as a portion of total income – to the financial security of higher education institutions (HEIs)1 for the 2015 financial year. In this article, we provide a 10-year perspective of tuition fees to assess the significance of this source of HEI income.   read more »

If you drive a car or enjoy a regular glass of wine, February’s National Budget Speech would have had an impact on your cost of living. The rise in sin taxes and petrol levies announced during the speech influenced prices for alcoholic beverages and petrol, contributing to April’s overall inflation rate of 4,5%. The Minister   read more »

It is often said that an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. A good education is worth its weight in gold, but recent figures released by Stats SA indicate that South African households will have to make more room in their budgets to pay for rising tuition fees. Stats SA updates education inflation figures   read more »

Changing fuel prices affect us all. With the recent downward trend in prices seemingly coming to an end, South Africans are again left wondering how the petrol price will affect their pockets. Consumer inflation data released today1 provide an indication of the impact that the recent period of low petrol prices had on the cost   read more »