Every year, on 18 November, African countries celebrate African Statistics Day (ASD) with the objective of raising public awareness about the importance of statistics in economic and social development. The theme selected for the 2014 edition of the ASD is “Open data for accountability and inclusiveness”. Open data is defined as data that can be   read more »

As the year draws to a close, South Africans young and old are preparing themselves for the festivities that come with the end of the year. While some are preparing to spend the holidays away from their homes, others are planning on spending the festive season with their loved ones at home. The festive season is also known to   read more »

South Africa is one of seven pilot countries selected by the United Nations (UN) to test a framework that will measure the state and condition of the country’s ecosystems. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) are partnering on this project. A three-day training session is currently being hosted   read more »

ASSOCIATION FOR MATHEMATICS EDUCATION OF SOUTH AFRICA (AMESA) The aim of AMESA is to promote mathematics education by enhancing the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics in South Africa. The strategies adopted to achieve this aim include, among others, the provision of forums for all concerned with the teaching of mathematics at all levels   read more »

Message from the Statistician-General It gives me great pleasure to present to you a campaign that in so many ways for us represents the small but significant role we too can play in the democracy of South Africa, given the lessons of transition in South Africa and its system of official statistics. The maths4stats campaign   read more »

What is the maths4stats project? The maths4stats project is one of Statistics South Africa’s series of activities initiated to encourage the development of mathematics education, which is an important bedrock for statistics. It represents an effort to restore numeracy and statistical literacy in South African schools. What went wrong? For South Africa, the urgency to   read more »

Press Statement, 30 October 2014 Table A: Key labour market indicators   Jul-Sep 2013 Apr-Jun 2014 Jul-Sep 2014 Q/Q Change Y/Y Change Q/Q Change Y/Y Change Thousand Per cent  Population aged 15–64 yrs 34 868 35 332 35 489 157 620 0,4 1,8  Labour force 19 916 20 248 20 268 19 351 0,1 1,8   read more »

On 25 November 2014 Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will publish the first estimates of gross domestic product for the 3rd quarter of 2014. This statistical release will, however, differ from previous releases in two important aspects. Benchmarking and rebasing It is good international practice to periodically change the reference year used in economic statistics,   read more »

Patrick Kelly – Executive manager for Price statistics, Statistics South Africa, explores the true cost of ‘Braai Day’. South Africans love meat. This is obvious from our cultural affinity for a braai or ShisaNyama. Many celebrated ‘Braai Day’ on this week’s Heritage Day holiday. This importance is also evident from the prominence of meat products   read more »

The percentage of the population aged 60 years and above rose from 7,1% in 1996 to 8,0% in 2011, constituting an increase from 2,8 million to 4,1 million individuals. This is one of the findings contained in the Profile of Older Persons in South Africa report, which was released by Stats SA at the Population   read more »