Media Release 18 April 2016 Vulnerable Groups Series I: The Social Profile of Youth, 2009–2014   According to the Vulnerable Groups Series I: the social profile of youth, 2009-2014 the number of young people living below the poverty line decreased across all provinces; with Free State, Limpopo, and Northern Cape leading the pack with declines   read more »

Finding a home in a big pond It is often said that small businesses hold the key to economic growth. Recently released data paint an interesting picture of where small businesses are making a substantial contribution to economic activity. Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics reports that the private sector earned a total of R2,1   read more »

Municipal purchases and sales of electricity followed a usual, but very interesting, seasonal pattern in the last three months of 2015, according to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities report.   Published every quarter, the report provides an indication of the financial status of South Africa’s 278 municipalities, including data on where municipalities   read more »

Next time you dig into a delicious plate of fish and chips, take a moment to ponder the value of seafood as a resource. How has South Africa’s fish stocks changed since 2005? Estimates of quantities of fish available in our oceans, as well as data on catch numbers, were recently published in Stats SA’s   read more »

The much anticipated Community Survey 2016 (CS 2016) kicked off on 7 March 2016. Over 10 000 Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) field workers across the country will visit 1,3 million sampled households collecting data until 22 April 2016. Unlike previous surveys of this magnitude, this year the CS 2016 will use the Computer Assisted   read more »

Current data point to an agriculture industry that is struggling. During November 2015, in the midst of South Africa’s worst drought in 23 years, Stats SA released gross domestic product (GDP) figures showing three consecutive quarters of steep decline in agricultural activity. A number of forecasts suggest that food prices might rise sharply as a   read more »

Next time you dig into a delicious plate of fish and chips, take a moment to ponder the value of seafood as a natural resource. Stats SA’s latest Environmental Economic Accounts Compendium provides estimates of quantities of fish available in our oceans, as well as data on catch numbers. The oceans that straddle the Southern   read more »

Credit to the twelve thousand fieldworkers who sang one song that reverberated as they combed the breadth and width of our country singing the song for the Community Survey. In the Free State the song was sung and its echo, guided by the Orange River, unleashed itself into the sandy dunes of the Northern Cape.   read more »

The Community Survey 2016(CS) is a large-scale survey that happens in between Censuses 2011 and 2021. The main objective is to provide population and household statistics at municipal level to government and the private sector, to support planning and decision-making. The last Community Survey was conducted in 2007. Stats SA will visit approximately 1.3 million   read more »

The economics of Christmas: disrupting the normal You are looking for a Christmas gift for Aunt Edna. As you browse the aisles, you think of how much you are looking forward to the trip down to the coast. December is an unusual time for the country economically. Monthly statistics on the economy clearly show how   read more »