Data Methodology
SA Data Hub is committed to transparency about how data is sourced, processed, and presented. This page documents every data source, update schedule, indicator definition, and known limitation.
Why do the numbers disagree?
Unemployment: 33.6% or 43.8%?
Both are Stats SA figures for April to June 2026. 33.6% is the official unemployment rate (LU1): people without work who looked for it, as a share of the labour force. 43.8% is LU3, which also counts the potential labour force: people who want work but did not look, or looked but could not start yet. Stats SA publishes four such rates and says they should be “understood as complementary”.
Why South Africa has more than one unemployment rate
Source: Stats SA, Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 2: 2026 (P0211), Table A, page 1. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.
Population: 62 027 503 or 63 522 380?
Census 2022 counted 62 027 503 people. Stats SA's mid-year estimate for 2026 is 63 522 380. They describe different dates, and they are made differently. In Stats SA's words, “The mid-year estimates are an estimate of the population as of 30 June in a given year”, and they use “the cohort-component method for population estimation”, projecting a base population forward with levels of fertility, mortality and migration.
On SA Data Hub, municipality pages use the Census 2022 counts and province pages use the 2026 mid-year estimates, so the municipalities in a province do not add up to the figure on its province page.
Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), sum of the nine province rows, Person indicators per municipality, pages 6 to 44. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.
Source: Stats SA, Mid-year population estimates, 2026 (P0302), Appendix 1, page 27; Introduction, page 1. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.
Using Stats SA's data
Stats SA sets this condition on its publications:
“Users may apply or process this data, provided Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) is acknowledged as the original source of the data; that it is specified that the application and/or analysis is the result of the user's independent processing of the data; and that neither the basic data nor any reprocessed version or application thereof may be sold or offered for sale in any form whatsoever without prior permission from Stats SA.”
Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), page iii.
So every Stats SA figure on SA Data Hub names Stats SA as the original source, and every change, share, average or ranking worked out from it is SA Data Hub's own processing, not Stats SA's. SA Data Hub is free and sells nothing.
Core Principles
Primary Sources Only
All data originates from official government statistical agencies or internationally recognised institutions. No data aggregators or news sources.
No Editorial Adjustment
Data is presented as released. We do not seasonally adjust, smooth, or normalise figures beyond what is in the official release.
Limitations Disclosed
Every dataset page documents known caveats, sampling limitations, and revision risks. Provisional data is clearly labelled.
Data Sources
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA)
www.statssa.gov.zaThe primary national statistical office. All headline macroeconomic indicators originate here. StatSA releases are the reference source for all economic data on this platform.
South African Reserve Bank (SARB)
www.resbank.co.zaSARB's online statistical query tool provides downloadable time series for monetary policy variables. Data is authoritative for financial indicators.
Department of Basic Education (DBE)
www.education.gov.zaDBE releases annual matric results in January for the previous year. Provincial breakdowns are available in the full NSC diagnostic report.
South African Police Service (SAPS)
www.saps.gov.za/services/crimestats.phpSAPS releases annual crime statistics in September covering April–March financial years. Station-level data is available from the Crime Statistics portal.
World Bank Open Data
data.worldbank.org/country/ZAUsed for long-run time series and international comparisons. World Bank figures may lag Stats SA by 1–2 years but provide consistent methodology across decades.
Update Schedule
| Dataset | Frequency | Approx. Publication Lag |
|---|---|---|
| CPI Inflation | Monthly | ~25 days |
| GDP Growth | Quarterly | ~60 days |
| Unemployment (QLFS) | Quarterly | ~6 weeks |
| Provincial Unemployment | Quarterly | ~6 weeks |
| Matric Pass Rates | Annual | ~2 weeks (Jan) |
| Crime Statistics | Annual | September |
| Population Estimates | Annual | Mid-year |
| Housing / GHS | Annual | ~12 months |
| Census Data | Decennial | ~2 years |
| Interest Rates (Repo) | MPC meetings (~bi-monthly) | Same day |
Dataset Definitions & Limitations
Unemployment Rate
Definition
The narrow (official) unemployment rate measures persons without work, available to work, and actively seeking work as a percentage of the labour force. The expanded rate includes discouraged work-seekers.
Known Limitations
- Does not capture underemployment (part-time workers seeking full-time work).
- Household survey — subject to sampling error (±0.5pp at national level).
- Does not reflect quality or formality of employment.
- COVID-19 disrupted Q2 2020 fieldwork; Q2 2020 data should be treated with caution.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Definition
GDP measures the monetary value of all goods and services produced within South Africa's borders in a reference period, adjusted for inflation (real GDP) and seasonally adjusted.
Known Limitations
- Preliminary estimates are subject to revision — sometimes material revisions in subsequent releases.
- Seasonal adjustment methodology may change, causing historical revisions.
- Informal economy and subsistence agriculture are partially captured.
- Sectoral decompositions (agriculture, mining, manufacturing etc.) are released with a further delay.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Definition
CPI measures the rate of change in prices paid by urban households for a representative basket of goods and services. It is the primary measure of consumer price inflation in South Africa.
Known Limitations
- Based on urban households only — may not reflect rural price dynamics.
- Basket weights are updated periodically (last major revision 2017); the basket may lag consumption pattern changes.
- Core CPI (excluding food and energy) is not officially published by Stats SA but is estimated by analysts.
- Individual component indices (food, transport, housing) may diverge significantly from headline.
Provincial Statistics
Definition
Provincial data aggregates multiple Stats SA surveys: QLFS for unemployment, Census 2022 for population and housing access, NSC results for education. GDP share is from national accounts regional estimates.
Known Limitations
- Provincial unemployment estimates have higher sampling error than national (±1–2pp).
- Census data (2022) may not fully reflect subsequent migration patterns.
- Provincial GDP estimates are released annually with a longer lag than quarterly national GDP.
- Service delivery indicators (electricity, water) from General Household Survey, which is conducted annually but with a 1-year publication lag.
Verification Process
All data is sourced directly from official statistical publications and cross-referenced with the original press releases before publication. Rather than relying on unverified third-party automated aggregators, headline figures and series are curated from official primary releases (Stats SA, SARB, DBE, SAPS) and validated against historical trends and official statistical tables.
For datasets without structured APIs (most Stats SA releases are PDF or Excel files), data is transcribed from the official statistical release tables. Transcribed values are verified against the headline figure in the press release and, where possible, against secondary coverage in Business Day or Bloomberg SA.
Historical revisions issued by Stats SA are incorporated in the next scheduled update cycle. We do not backdate individual data points between cycles unless the revision is material (defined as a change exceeding 1 percentage point for rates, or 0.5% for index levels).
Code and corrections
The code, the data files and the scripts that check them against each release are public on GitHub. Every correction is listed on the corrections and updates page.
Found a figure that does not match its source? Report an error.
Transparency Notes
This is not an official Stats SA product. SA Data Hub is an independent platform. While we strive for accuracy, users requiring data for official, legal, or academic purposes should consult the primary sources directly.
Data may be provisional. Stats SA frequently issues preliminary estimates ahead of final figures. We label provisional data where known, but users should verify the status of individual data points on Stats SA's website.
Automation limitations. Third-party APIs and automated pipelines (such as World Bank modelled indicators) are strictly gated or kept manual to prevent overwriting official national survey observations. All data updates undergo automated regression and consistency checks prior to release.
No commercial affiliation. SA Data Hub has no commercial relationship with any of the data sources listed on this page and does not receive compensation for referencing them.
SA Data Hub is maintained by Ubayd Hattas. See the About page for project background and the update process.