A recent analysis of Stats SA’s Building Statistics Surveys reveals significant underreporting in the Monthly Building Statistics Survey at the provincial level. While 66% of municipalities are excluded nationally—accounting for only 14% of building completion values—the distortion is far more pronounced in provinces like Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape, where large portions of building activity go unrecorded. In Limpopo, for example, 70% of municipalities are not surveyed despite contributing 64% of the province’s total building values in 2022.
This underrepresentation distorts economic visibility, hampers infrastructure and housing planning, and risks inequitable funding allocations. It also compromises the reliability of construction data for investment and policy decisions. Addressing these data gaps and improving survey coverage is essential to support accurate, evidence-based planning across all provinces…read the full report here (available to subscribers)
