Data Downloads

Notes: Official unemployment uses the ILO strict definition (LU1), ages 15 to 64. Latest release: QLFS Q2 2026 (published 11 August 2026). All quarters from Q1 2022 to Q2 2026 were checked against the original Stats SA releases. From Q3 2025 Stats SA reports LU3 (unemployment plus the potential labour force) instead of the former expanded unemployment rate. The two are not the same measure, and they are not combined here.

Notes: Youth unemployment for ages 15 to 34 and 15 to 24, from QLFS Q2 2026 (published 11 August 2026), Table 2.2. The 15 to 34 rate is calculated by SA Data Hub from the published counts for ages 15 to 24 and 25 to 34, as are its values for Q2 to Q4 2025. The NEET rate for youth aged 15–24 years is from QLFS Q4 2025 (published 17 February 2026), page 8 and Table 7b, page 82. The expanded youth unemployment rate is not shown: Stats SA does not publish an expanded rate in the QLFS releases SA Data Hub holds. Points before Q2 2025 have not yet been rechecked.

Notes: Labour force participation rate (LFPR) measures the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) that is either employed or actively looking for work. South Africa's LFPR is low by international standards, partly reflecting high rates of discouragement. Values from Q1 2024 to Q2 2026 were checked against Stats SA QLFS (P0211) tables. Earlier points have not yet been rechecked.

Notes: CPI figures are year-on-year percentage changes (headline, all urban areas). Latest Stats SA CPI release: September 2026 (published 21 October 2026). The SARB inflation target is 3%, with a tolerance band of 1 percentage point either side. Monthly points before April 2026 have not yet been rechecked against the original releases.

Notes: GDP growth is quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted, in real terms (constant 2015 prices), and not annualised. Latest release: Stats SA P0441, Q2 2026 (published 8 September 2026). Annual growth, nominal GDP and GDP per capita are from the Q4 2025 release (10 March 2026). Stats SA is rebasing GDP to a new base year (2022), and all historical GDP values will change when the rebased series is published. GDP per capita is calculated by SA Data Hub and is not a published Stats SA series.

Notes: The repo rate is the rate at which the SARB lends to commercial banks. The prime lending rate is the repo rate plus 3.5 percentage points, a commercial-bank convention that the SARB does not set. Each point is the repo rate in force after that month's Monetary Policy Committee decision. Points before July 2025 have not yet been rechecked against SARB statements.

Notes: Annual figures are for the 2023/24 financial year (April to March), from the South African Police Service. Separately, the January to March figures for 2022 to 2026 come from the SAPS fourth-quarter 2025/26 statistics, released on 22 May 2026. They cover one quarter, not a full year, so they cannot be compared with the annual totals. SAPS annual figures newer than 2023/24 have not been added.

Notes: Matric: 2025 National Senior Certificate results, announced by the Minister of Basic Education on 12 January 2026. The national pass rate was reported as 88%, and the one-decimal value shown is inferred from that report. Provincial matric rates are still the 2024 values. Literacy is from Census 2022. Higher-education enrolment is for public universities in 2023.

Notes: Total population is the Stats SA Mid-Year Population Estimate (P0302) for 30 June: 63,522,380 for 2026 (published 30 July 2026). Values for 2015 to 2024 are approximations calculated by SA Data Hub from the annual growth rates in that release, not published Stats SA totals. Urban share and median age are Census 2022 measures. UN and World Bank estimates use different methods and are not used here.

Notes: All three indicators are Census 2022 values (Stats SA P0301.4, released 10 October 2023) and use Census definitions: piped water means water inside the dwelling, electricity means the main source of energy for lighting, and formal dwellings follow the Census dwelling-type classification. The 2016 points come from the Community Survey, not a census. Some earlier points (2011 water, and 1996 electricity and formal dwellings) come from Stats SA statements as reported in the news media. Census 2022 had an estimated net undercount of about 31%; Stats SA considers the data fit for use and has said it will not revise the results.

Notes: Census 2022 values (Stats SA P0301.4, released 10 October 2023). The 2016 internet-access point comes from the Community Survey, not a census. Census 2022 had an estimated net undercount of about 31%; Stats SA considers the data fit for use and has said it will not revise the results.

Notes: Provincial official unemployment is from QLFS Q2 2026 (published 11 August 2026), Table E. Change is the published quarter-on-quarter change in percentage points against Q1 2026. The expanded unemployment rate is from Q3 2025 and uses the former definition. Provincial population totals are Stats SA Mid-Year Population Estimates for 2026 (P0302) and are not comparable with the Census 2022 counts used on municipality pages. Education and literacy fields keep their own reference years. Housing and services are from Census 2022 Provinces at a glance. Rank 1 is the lowest unemployment rate.