Socio-Economic Survey 2021

The Assets and Incomes chapter contains information on earnings, expenditure, savings, investment, ownership, and poverty patterns in South Africa. The data is broken down by race, age, province, sector, occupation, and income bracket.

The Business and Infrastructure chapter looks at South Africa’s business environment and its structure. International indices are covered extensively to track South Africa’s global competitiveness. The chapter also contains data on South Africa’s physical infrastructure.

The Communications chapter has data on the means of communication used by households and individuals as well as on radio listeners, television viewers, and newspaper readers. Also included is data on access to telecommunications such as telephones, cellphones, postal services, and the Internet. The chapter also contains information on access to the different modes of transport.

The Crime and Security chapter looks at all aspects of the criminal justice system – the South African Police Service (SAPS), the courts, and prisons – as well as defence and private security. The most serious crimes are documented, while provincial breakdowns of selected crimes also feature.

The Demographics chapter illustrates the structure of South Africa’s population by race, sex, age, location, living arrangements, religion, and language. The data shows past, current, and future trends, as well as international comparisons.

The Economy chapter contains data on all aspects of the South African economy plus a number of comparisons with selected countries across the globe.

The Education chapter provides an in-depth look at South Africa’s education system at all stages, ranging from preschool to tertiary level. The detailed sub-sections provide a comprehensive picture of the resources in schools, as well as examination results and output.

The Employment chapter tracks South Africa’s labour market and its participants. It contains data on employment, unemployment, employment equity, labour shortages, and job creation. Indicators show trends over the last decade and are broken down by race, sex, province, and industry.

The Health chapter focuses on South Africa’s health system. It contains figures on expenditure, medical personnel, and health facilities. Also included is data on mortality, nutrition and diseases as well as HIV/AIDS-related indicators such as infection and prevalence rates, treatment and prevention and deaths.

The Industrial Relations chapter focuses on the structure of employment in South Africa, trade union coverage, and wage comparisons across different sectors. Attention is also given to strikes and their triggers.

The Living Conditions chapter tracks the Government’s delivery of basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, and refuse removal. Access to land and housing is also included. The chapter also has data on informal settlements, housing shortages, and access to affordable housing.

The Politics and Government chapter provides data on South Africa’s political landscape. It details party representation at national, provincial, and local level and covers issues such as government performance and international indices, comparing South Africa’s performance on several democracy indicators with the rest of the world.

The Public Finance chapter provides detailed information on how much the Government receives and from whom, as well as how much it spends and on what.