Green Economy Bulletin

The annual TIPS Green Economy Bulletin provides an overview, at the national level, of South Africa’s progress in creating a more sustainable, inclusive and low-carbon economy. It aims to provide quick access to selected performance indicators that highlight key dimensions of the transition to an inclusive green economy.

This is TIPS’s third publication on the State of Small Business in South Africa which is a periodic special edition of our Real Economy Bulletin. The series provides baseline data on the number of small businesses and their contribution to the economy, as well as their distribution by industry and location, ownership by race, gender and age, investment and profitability. The bulletin first looks at the number of small business, both formal and informal, and the rate of growth. The figures show how the legacy of apartheid has left the country lagging behind other upper middle-income countries, which is a…
The annual REB Provincial Review analyses developments in the real economy and in development policies and projects at the provincial level. Main Bulletin: The Real Economy Bulletin Provincial Review 2022 Introduction: Much like elsewhere, production in South Africa is centred on a few provinces. In 2021, Gauteng remained the largest provincial economy, accounting for a third of the national GDP and over a quarter of the national population. KwaZulu-Natal is the second largest economy, accounting for 16% of the national GDP and 19% of the total population, followed by the Western Cape, which accounted for 14% of the national GDP and 12%…
A green economy includes the principles of sustainability, inclusivity, equity, efficiency and low-carbon development. References to South Africa’s commitment to and pursuit of a green economy can be found in many national policies, plans and strategies, as documented by the Green Economy Coalition’s Green Economy Tracker. To date, however. there have been few efforts to measure progress in the transition towards an inclusive green economy. This is changing with the launch of this new publication, the Green Economy Bulletin (GEB), which tracks the progress in South Africa against a selected set of economic, social and environmental indicators. Fourteen metrics have…
This edition of The Real Economy Bulletin is the third edition of the State of Small Business published by TIPS. It reviews trends in small business post COVID-19, looking at small business by the numbers and the pace of recovery; employment and earnings; contribution to the GDP; small business by sector; profitability and earnings; assets and liabilities; education levels; ownership by race and gender; and the geography of small business Download a copy of read online
Small business is often seen as a key potential driver of job creation, equality and innovation in South Africa. The National Development Plan argues that small business can open new opportunities to create jobs as well as be a route to economic empowerment. In manufacturing, small business accounts for only a tenth of revenue, but a fifth of employment. Small business provides 55% of formal employment and the available evidence shows virtually no increase in the number of small businesses since 2008, and only relatively slow employment growth. South Africa continues to have low levels of small business compared to…
The annual REB Provincial Review analyses developments in the real economy and in development policies and projects at the provincial level. Main Bulletin: The Real Economy Bulletin Provincial Review 2016 Introduction: The share of provinces in the national GDP and population varies substantially. Gauteng alone accounts for over a third of the GDP and almost a quarter of the population. In contrast, the Eastern Cape accounts for 13% of the population but 8% of the GDP, while the Northern Cape contributes just 2% of both the economy and the population. The differences are even starker in the provinces' contribution to the real…