Development Indicators 2014

The Development Indicators 2014 publication has been released by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. This annual publication is used by the Government to track socio-economic progress in South Africa. The Indicators are from various sources, including official statistics, government databases and research institutions.

The key areas of good performance in 2014 were:

• South Africans’ life expectancy increased by  8.5 years from 52.7 years in 2004  to 61.2 years in 2014
• Infant mortality improved from 58 to 34 deaths per 1 000 live births between 2002 and 2014. Over the same period under-5 mortality decreased from 85 to 44 deaths per 1 000 live births.
• South Africa contributed to halting and reversing the spread of HIV (Millennium Development Goal 6). The number of HIV positive persons on antiretroviral treatment in South Africa was at 2.8 million in 2014, which is a significant portion of the global target of 15 million. The number of people on antiretroviral treatment has now reached 3.5 million. The global target was achieved ahead of schedule in 2015. 
• The percentage of households in low living standards (LSM 1 to 3) decreased from 40% to 11% over the period 2000 to 2013
• The number of households has expanded from 10.8 million to 15.6 million between 2002 and 2014. Over the same period, the share of households accessing basic services increased from 77% to 86% in the case of electricity, from 80% to 86% for water infrastructure, which exceeded RDP standards. The proportion of households accessing sanitation went up from 62% to 80%. 
• The share of 5-year olds attending early childhood development facilities more than doubled from 39% in 2002 to 87% in 2014. 
• In 2014, 84% of adults in South Africa were literate, up from 73% in 2002. South Africa compares favourably to other African and Middle Eastern countries in international comparisons.
• Combating the unacceptably high levels of crime remains a priority. Between 2002 and 2013, the number of serious crimes reported was reduced from over 5 thousand to 3.5 thousand per 100 000 population.  
• Since first assessed in 2006, South Africa persistently performed well in terms of the public having access to budget information and provided with the opportunity to participate in budget process at national level.  In 2012 we were rated second out of one hundred countries.
• Tax revenue has grown significantly due to economic growth, a broader tax base and more effective revenue collection. The income tax register has been expanded from 3 million taxpayers in 1996 to almost 20 million in 2014. 
• Almost 15 million international travellers arrived in South Africa in 2013, double the number in 2005. Tourism generated 4.6% of total employment in 2012, up from 4% in 2005 and contributed R93 billion to GDP in 2012, more than double the R45 billion in 2005.