The South African economy grew by 1,1% in the first quarter of 2021 (January–March), translating into an annualised growth rate of 4,6%.1 This follows a revised 1,4% (annualised: 5,8%) rise in real gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2020. The finance, mining and trade industries were the main drivers of output on   read more »

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the 16 June 1976 student uprising in Soweto. In 1994, the new democratic government declared 16 June as National Youth Day and June as the Youth Month. With the focus on the youth under the theme: “The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive   read more »

Poultry is an important source of income in the commercial agriculture industry. If you consider the sales of live chickens, chicken meat and eggs, the total value of chicken-related sales almost rivals that of the entire field crop sector. Explore chicken sales, as well as other stories, in this edition of Stats Biz. Download Stats   read more »

It all started with the Pieter Faure. This relatively small, unassuming ship, built in Scotland, laid the foundation for the development of South Africa’s commercial, ocean fishing industry as we know it today. John Gilchrist might not have guessed the extent of the contribution he would make when he boarded the Pieter Faure in 1897.   read more »

Economic growth is often quite lumpy. A national measure of gross domestic product (GDP) is useful to gauge how a country is doing as a whole. Still, it misses the fact that economic activity varies across towns, cities and regions. Stats SA’s most recent quarterly GDP release provides national data for the entire year of   read more »

Stats SA’s Gross domestic product (GDP) release for the fourth quarter of 2020 (October–December) concludes the series for the year, providing a sobering overview of 2020.   Manufacturing and trade help lift growth in the fourth quarter The economy grew by 1,5% in the fourth quarter, giving an annualised1 growth rate of 6,3%. This follows   read more »

19 February 2021 The producer price indices (PPIs) for January 2021 will reflect updates to the basket and weights, and will be rebased to December 2020 = 100. Tracking price changes of locally produced goods, the PPIs cover the following industries: manufacturing; water and electricity; mining and quarrying; and agriculture, forestry and fishing. Industry-level weights   read more »

The General Household Survey, 2019, which tracks the progress of development and identifies persistent service delivery gaps in South Africa, was recently released by Statistics South Africa. Now in its eighteenth year, the survey has yielded a rich set of information across a wide variety of fields such as education, health, disability, social security, housing,   read more »

As government introduces new legislation to further support small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs), recently released data from the 2019 Annual Financial Statistics (AFS) survey shows the growing role that small businesses play in the formal business sector. The National Small Enterprise Amendment Bill 2020, gazetted recently, outlines the establishment of an ombud service that   read more »

South Africa’s economy rebounded in the third quarter of 2020 (July–September), coinciding with the easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. All industries recorded an increase in economic activity compared with the second quarter, with manufacturing, trade and mining leading the charge. Businesses were supported by an increase in both exports and household spending. Gross domestic product   read more »