When last did you copy data onto a blank CD? With the rise of USB sticks and cloud storage, gone are the days of backing up your data on a compact disk. It comes as no surprise then, that Stats SA removed blank CDs and DVDs from the latest version of the Consumer Price Index   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                                             27 January 2017 New basket and weights for the Consumer Price Index (CPI)   There are 412 products and services in the new CPI basket, an increase from 396, which now includes new products such as instant noodles, frozen pizzas and pies, and ready-mixed flour products. Stats SA announced the changes to the   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                                        27 January 2017   Community Survey 2016, Agricultural Households    The number of South African households engaged in agricultural activities decreased between 2011 and 2016. There were 550 000 (19,1%) fewer agricultural households in 2016 (2,33 million) than in 2011 (2,88 million).This decline was mainly due to the drought experienced throughout the country   read more »

Stats SA recently announced changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket of goods and services. The changes provide interesting insight into how consumer spending patterns have shifted over the last four years. The basket forms the basis from which the monthly CPI is calculated. There are 412 products and services in the new basket,   read more »

Municipalities in South Africa spent a total of R73,1 billion during the September quarter of 2016. Stats SA’s latest Quarterly Financial Statistics of Municipalities report1 provides an overview of how this money was spent. More than half of municipal expenditure during the September 2016 quarter was on two items: electricity (28,0%) and employee-related costs (27,8%).   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 »

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                  08 December 2016 Statistician-General to release formal sector employment statistics for the third quarter of 2016 The Statistician-General of South Africa, Dr Pali Lehohla, will release the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) for the third quarter of 2016. The QES measures changes in employment across all industries in the formal sector of the economy.   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 »

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 »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                           23 November 2016 Digitisation of Births and Deaths Registration The use of technology by government will be given a major boost when the Department of Home Affairs and Statistics South Africa consolidate their resources for accelerated and efficient service delivery. The Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Malusi Gigaba, together with the Statistician-General of   read more »