2005 population estimates for SA now available

Says Bob Currin, executive consultant of of SAtoZ, "Many clients have been screaming for this information. We will be updating on an annual basis from now on."

The 2005 estimates at an enumeration area level contain statistics on the type of area (e.g. farm, smallholding, formal urban, tribal), administrative boundaries, gender, population group, age groups, total population and population density.

Prof DJ Stoker, in collaboration with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), generated the 2005 demographic estimates during the past four months of 2006 using benchmark weighting techniques and the mid-year estimates for 2005 from Statistics South Africa.

SAtoZ is working with strategic partners such as GeoTerraImage on the update of detailed counts of dwellings in the major metropolitan areas using satellite imagery taken during 2005. This information will be further used to fine-tune the estimates in metropolitan areas where there has been densification of settlements and new areas have been developed.

SAtoZ and its partners are also planning to generate estimates of the population at an enumeration area and municipality level on an annual basis.

GIS format

All of the information is in a GIS format, which means that it can be integrated with other layers of information and new variables can be created. On request, SAtoZ can aggregate the 2005 demographic estimates to other spatial layers of information, for example, sales regions of businesses. This information is invaluable for market size calculations, research purposes and in the design of samples and the implementation of market research surveys.

Other geo-information at SAtoZ's disposal includes Living Standard Measures (LSM), poverty, mindset and economic statistics.

The cost of the tabular demographic data is R1000 and the cost of the spatial data at the enumerator area level is R24 000. For further information, contact Bob Currin at .