Transport was the area of highest growth in the South African economy between 2004 and 2006, a Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) survey has found.
This was a result of accelerated purchases of motor vehicles, Stats SA said on Tuesday in releasing its Income and Expenditure Survey for 2005/2006.
”These purchases increased rapidly in the period 2004 to 2006,” it said.
”As the economy grew in real per capita terms and employment increased, many more households acquired their own vehicles and found the means to finance them.
”The increase in transport’s proportion was evident across all income groups, across all population groups, and across all provinces.”
This growth was coupled with a substantial reduction in expenditure on food, Stats SA said, but partly attributed this to a change in the methodology of measuring food expenditure.
Disparity
The survey found that although real income per capita increased in all income levels between 2000 and 2005/2006, inequality remained high with 10% of the population receiving over half of all household income.
Grants had played an increasingly important role in reducing inequality as a major source of income for the poor.
The survey estimated total household income at about R929,2-billion in 2005/2006, with an average annual income per household of R74 589.
It put total annual household consumption at an estimated R700-billion, with an average of R56 152 per household.
It found that of this, about R13 245 was spent on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, R11 180 was spent on transport and R8 105 on food and non-alcoholic beverages. – Sapa