Earning and spending in South Africa

Selected findings of the 1995

income and expenditure survey

Statistics South Africa

1997

Dr FM Orkin

Head

Published by Statistics South Africa
Private Bag X44
Pretoria
0001

ISBN 0-621-27722-3

The detailed statistical tables on which this publication is based are available as ‘Income and expenditure of households’, CSS statistical release P0111 (South Africa as a whole), and P0111.1 to P0111.9 (the nine provinces). These can be ordered from Central Statistics, Pretoria in both printed and electronic format.

ã Copyright, 1997.

Material from this publication may be applied, processed or reproduced, provided Central Statistics (CSS) is acknowledged as the source of the original data.

Author:	Dr Ros Hirschowitz
Chief Director of Research and Development, Stats SA.

 

Statistics South Africa

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Preliminary estimates of the size of the South African population, based on the population census conducted in October 1996, were issued by the CSS in July 1997. These indicate that there are fewer people (37,9 million) in the country, and that urbanisation (55%) has been more rapid, than was previously realised.

The new census numbers may have an effect on some of the weights and raising factors that were used in this report, since these are presently based on projections of population and household size to 1995, using the 1991 census estimates as baseline.

The new CSS management believes that the model used to adjust the actual count of people found in the 1991 census probably overestimated population growth rates in the country, hence overestimating the size of the population and number of households.

The number of people, the number of households and the percentages reported here will therefore probably need to be modified at a later date when the CSS has more complete information about household size and distribution of the population by race and age from Census ‘96. Nevertheless, these overall trends should be accepted as indicative of the broad income and expenditure patterns of South African households during 1995.

Contents
Section 1:   Introduction
Section 2:   The main findings regarding incomes
Section 3:   The main findings regarding expenditure
Section 4:   Comparing the surveys of 1990 and 1995 
Section 5:   Summary and conclusions


List of Tables

Table 1:   Annual income and expenditure quintiles
Table 2:   Average annual household income by race of head of household in each province
Table 3:   Average annual household income in various sub-groups of the population
Table 4:   Income distribution by race and gender in urban and non-urban areas
Table 5:   Income distribution by gender and urban/non-urban areas within each province
Table 6:   Gini coefficients of different types of South African households
Table 7:   Distribution of household income by population group in 1990 and 1995 in the 12 
                 main urban areas of the country
Table 8:   Income quintiles for the 12 main urban areas in 1990 and 1995
Table 9:   Average annual income in each quintile for 1990 and 1995 by race
Table 10: Percentage of total annual expenditure per item by race in 1990 and 1995
Table 11: Gini coefficients in the 12 main urban areas in 1990 and 1995


List of Figures


Figure 1:   Income category by race of head of household
Figure 2:   Income category by gender of head of household
Figure 3:   Income category by gender and race of head of household
Figure 4:   Income category among urban and non-urban households
Figure 5:   Income category by gender of household head in urban and non-urban areas
Figure 6:   Income category by province
Figure 7:   Lorenz curve indicating the extent of income inequalities in 1995
Figure 8:   Average annual household expenditure
Figure 9:   Percentage of annual household expenditure spent by each expenditure quintile
Figure 10: Annual household expenditure on selected items by expenditure quintiles
Figure 11: Annual household expenditure on fuel and power, furniture and goods for household
                 operation by expenditure category
Figure 12: Annual household expenditure on clothing and footwear, personal care and recreation by 
                 expenditure category
Figure 13: Percentage of annual household expenditure on income tax in each expenditure category
Figure 14: Annual household savings and investments in each expenditure category
Figure 15: Average amount in rands spent on food among households in each expenditure category
Figure 16: Proportion of total food expenditure spent, on average, on each type of food
Figure 17: Proportion of expenditure spent on selected food items by expenditure category
Figure 18:  Proportion of households in each income quintile by race of household head
Figure 19:  Lorenz curve: households in the 12 main urban areas, 1990 and 1995