Inequality trends in South Africa: A multidimensional diagnostic of inequality

This report on inequality trends in South Africa is a joint publication produced by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) in partnership with the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) based in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town and the Agence Francaise de Développement (AFD) with partial funding support from the European Union (EU). The report presents a broad overview of various dimensions of inequality over the recent past, using a wide range of data sources.

The report analyses and presents results of inequality measurements for household income and expenditure, assets, earnings, employment, education, health, access to basic services and infrastructure, and social mobility. The report uses a multidimensional approach to the profiling of inequality that makes it possible to provide stakeholders and policymakers with new insights on the monumental inequality challenges still facing South Africa’s young democracy. Where possible, the estimates are disaggregated by population group, sex and/or geography. Thus, the results present evidence on both vertical and horizontal inequality. The report provides estimates at national and provincial levels, but also includes a few maps that draw on data from the Census 2011 to generate select indicators at lower geographic levels, namely at district and local municipal level.