The Demographics chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the South African population from 1985-2008. The data is further broken down into population size by race, sex, and age. It also includes population growth forecasts up until 2021. The chapter also provides substantial provincial and municipal tables, which show provincial and municipal populations broken down by race, sex, age, urban/rural, and by household numbers.

Also included are indicators such as the fertility rate, number of births, mortality, and life expectancy. These indicators have international comparisons which allow for South Africa’s trends to be contrasted with other developing and developed countries. Most of these indicators are also broken down by province, sex, age, and race. There are also comparisons over time which allow the reader to get a sense of long-term and short-term trends.

A new focus area for the Institute - the South African family - features prominently in this chapter. There are 19 tables which contain data on issues such as: child-headed households; orphans; children living with parents; urban single parents; presence of fathers; a profile of mothers by age, race, and marital status; and teenage pregnancies. In many cases this data is broken down by province, race, and age.

The Demographics chapter presents information on the impact that HIV/AIDS has had on the size and composition of the South African population. National and provincial breakdowns of the size of the HIV-positive population are included, as are estimated AIDS and non-AIDS deaths up until 2010. There is also an overview of religion and language in South Africa.

Migration – both international and internal – is included in this chapter. There is a breakdown of international migration, as well as data on the migration of people between South Africa’s provinces.

The Economy chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09 provides a comprehensive overview of the South African economy from 1955 to 2008. Information is provided on gross domestic product (GDP) growth for each of the years, GDP per head, the rand-dollar exchange rate, and the current account surplus or deficit, among other information.

The Economy chapter goes on to provide detailed information on a number of economic issues. Historical trends are given, as well as international comparisons. There is also a detailed section on the country’s provincial and municipal economies.

A detailed analysis of foreign investment is presented in the chapter, showing trends in direct and non-direct foreign investment back to 1956. Information is also provided on South African investment in foreign countries.

Analyses and historical trends are given for South African imports and exports. Other indicators, such as the exchange rate of the rand against major currencies, and the price of gold and platinum are included. Once again historical trends are presented.

The chapter also includes an in-depth analysis on taxation and revenue, showing where South Africa sources the majority of its tax revenue. A section is included on provincial and local government taxation, and South Africa’s taxation regime is compared with a wide range of other countries.

The budget is analysed, as are South Africa’s deficit and levels of debt.

The chapter includes information of provincial budgets, as well as municipal finance, a section which has not been included in the Survey previously.

Finally forecasts for a number of key economic indicators, up to 2013 are provided.

The Employment and Incomes chapter of the South Africa Survey 2008/09 provides a comprehensive overview of employment and incomes in the country. The chapter begins with an overview of the South African labour market. Data on employed and unemployed people is given, as well as information on the economically active population. This is followed by a comprehensive section on labour market participation rates. International labour force participation rates are also provided.

Information on employment in the various sectors of the country’s economy is presented, along with data from 2001 and 2008, allowing the reader to see short- and medium-term trends. Data on employment in the South African public sector is also included. This is followed by comprehensive data on informal employment, and the informal sector.

The chapter also provides comprehensive data on unemployment. This gives information on the number of people unemployed, unemployment rates, unemployment by age, and unemployment by level of education, among other indicators. Data is further broken down by race. Trends from 1994 onwards are provided, along with international comparisons of unemployment rates in selected countries.

A comprehensive overview on the underutilisation of labour and underemployment follows. Along with information on discouraged workseekers. Information on provincial labour markets is presented, providing a regional overview of employment. Supplementing the provincial data, a section on municipal labour markets is also provided. A detailed section on incomes is provided next with data on wage trends; income levels by race, province, and sex; and information on incomes by education levels. This is followed by data on income inequality in South Africa, by province and race.

The chapter contains information on expenditure and consumption along with data on the level of indebtedness of South Africans. The chapter ends with a comprehensive section on poverty. Information on the poverty gap and the number of South Africans living on less than US$1 per day is included. This is further broken down by province and race. Finally, data on poverty rates in South Africa’s municipalities is presented.

The Business and Labour chapter begins with a review of business in South Africa, looking at the number of enterprises that exist in South Africa. An overview is also given of SMME businesses in the country. There is also a review of state-owned enterprises, with information on turnover, revenue, and employees at these organisations.

This is followed by a comprehensive section on franchises, including information on employment in franchises, and the contribution that franchises make to the South African economy. Information is given on physical infrastructure in the country. The number of vessels calling at South African ports is shown, with data going back to 2004, so that the medium-term trend can be seen. The number of containers handled by South African ports over the same time period is also provided, as well as aircraft movements at South Africa’s major airports. Also included is information on South Africa’s road and rail networks.

A number of international comparisons are provided, which show where South Africa ranks on a number of international business indicators. These include rankings on South Africa’s competitiveness, the ease of doing business in the country, where South Africa ranks for economic freedom, and how attractive the country is as a destination for mining investment. This is followed by a comprehensive section on black economic empowerment (BEE), including information on the value of BEE deals and transactions over the past fifteen years. There is a table on the performance of the JSE all-share index over ten years, and a comparison of how South Africa’s stock market has fared, compared with foreign exchanges.

Information is provided on liquidations and insolvencies in South Africa, from 2003, giving the reader an idea of the medium-term trend. There is also a short section on tourism, an increasingly important sector of the South African economy. This is followed by a comprehensive overview of industrial relations in which trade unions, bargaining councils, strikes, and wages are examined.

The Education chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09, provides a comprehensive overview of education in South Africa.

The chapter has sections on education finance, attendance of educational institutions in the country, information on the country’s schooling system, and information on South Africa’s tertiary education system. It also contains a section on the education profile of the South African population. The number of South Africans with various levels of education are given. The education profile of each of South Africa’s municipalities is also provided.

A comprehensive section on South Africa’s schools is next. Historical trends for the numbers of pupils, schools, and teachers are provided, along with sections on teacher vacancies, the qualifications of teachers, and facilities and amenities at schools.

A comprehensive analysis of South Africa’s matric examinations is provided. First historical trends from 1980 to 2007 are presented, followed by results from the 2008 examinations, the first to be written under the new curriculum. There is also information on the Independent Examination Board and Further Education and Training colleges.

The chapter concludes a comprehensive section on higher education in South Africa.

The Health & Welfare chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09, provides a comprehensive overview of healthcare and social welfare in South Africa.

The chapter has sections on mortality, diseases, a detailed section on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and a comprehensive overview of healthcare infrastructure and services in South Africa. Medical personnel are tabulated, along with statistics for hospitals and clinics and vaccination coverage. The welfare section of the chapter provides a historical picture of social grants, and also provides data on the social wage.

 The chapter, wherever possible, provides data from multiple sources for the same information, and aims to be a one-stop resource for businesses and other interested parties in need of ready facts and hard data.

The Living Conditions & Communications chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09, provides a comprehensive overview of living conditions in South Africa, along with a breakdown of communications infrastructure.

The chapter has sections on households, household water sources and sources of energy, the state of play of land reform, and overall water and sanitation provision. A detailed breakdown of housing is provided, including the quality of housing, terms of occupation, and detailed statistics on housing provision by both the government and the private sector. A broad overview of basic infrastructure is also contained in this chapter including sections on energy, refuse disposal, basic services, financial services, communications infrastructure, and transportation. Finally, a large section on municipal indicators is provided.

The chapter, wherever possible, provides data from multiple sources for the same information, and aims to be a one-stop resource for busy people in need of accurate and detailed information on the state of living conditions and communications in South Africa.

The Crime & Security chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09, provides a comprehensive overview of Crime, the Justice system, and overall security in South Africa.

The chapter provides information on most serious crimes in South Africa broken down into one-year and fifteen-year trends. Detailed sections on aggravated robbery, crime on farms and crimes against children under the age of 18 are also provided. The chapter also provides statistics for provincial and municipal crime, along with information on causes of death, statistics on crime reporting, and a comparative section on international crime trends. Crime trends and anti-crime expenditure are also examined.

The section that deals with the police provides statistics for personnel, along with fatalities and escapes from police custody. Crime and misconduct in the police service is also detailed. Further sections on the Bench and the Bar, prisons and correctional services, the defence force, and private security are provided to complete the picture of the crime and security landscape in South Africa.

The Politics & Government chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09, provides an overall breakdown of electoral trends since 1994, along with international governance comparisons.

The chapter presents information on the political state of play in 2009, including detailed information on the makeup of Parliament, the provincial legislatures, and local authorities. A comprehensive section on voting trends since 1994 is also provided, including information on voter turnout in all national and provincial elections and changes in party representation over time. Finally, the Institute’s South African Democracy Index is presented, along with various comparative tables on international governance.

This is the final chapter in the South Africa Survey 2008/09.