1. South Africa population nearly doubles over the past 40 years
![South-africa-population-1980-2019](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/South-africa-population-1980-2019-1024x667.png)
South Africa population is incredibly young, reaching a median age of 34 in 2050.
![](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Median-age-of-total-population-1970-2050-south-africa-1024x760.png)
2. South Africa average GDP per capita is three times that of Africa average and higher than the emerging market average
Data from IMF.
![South-africa-gdp-per-capita-vs-developing-countries-2019](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/South-africa-gdp-per-capita-vs-developing-countries-2019-1024x667.png)
South Africa inflation is getting better over the past 10 years
![south-africa-inflation-vs-africa](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/south-africa-inflation-vs-africa-1024x667.png)
3. South Africa is trapped in low growth and rising inequality cycle
A brilliant South Africa economic update from the World Bank in 2018 summaries it well. South Africa economy is expected to grow at less than 2% for the next few years.
4. TV and Radio continue to have the broadest reach in South Africa
![media-reach-past-7-days-south-africa-jul-2017-dec-2018](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/media-reach-past-7-days-south-africa-jul-2017-dec-2018-1024x533.png)
Establishment survey from the broadcast research council of South Africa.
5. Total advertising spend in South Africa is about USD $2.7 billion
The ResearchandMarket report stated that total advertising spend was R38.13bn (or $2.7B) between July 2016 and June 2017. Out of that TV ad spending was at 56.3%, which was not given the market landscape.
6. The TV set is still the dominant way South Africans use as viewing devices
![Viewing-devices-South-Africa-dec-2018](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Viewing-devices-South-Africa-dec-2018-1024x572.png)
Establishment survey from the broadcast research council of South Africa.
7. The traditional radio remains the main for listening in South Africa
![listening-devices-in-South-Africa-Dec-2018](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/listening-devices-in-South-Africa-Dec-2018-1024x572.png)
Establishment survey from the broadcast research council of South Africa.
8. Internet penetration in South Africa more than doubled over the past ten years to 56%
![internet-penetration-south-africa-2019](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/internet-penetration-south-africa-2019-1024x709.png)
9. Even at home, most South Africans have to rely on mobile data for internet connection
![](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/connection-at-home-relies-on-mobile-data-in-south-africa-dec-2018-1024x569.png)
Establishment survey from the broadcast research council of South Africa.
10. Mobile phone penetration is at more than 75% of the population
![Mobile-Phone-Users-in-south-africa-2019-2022](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Mobile-Phone-Users-in-south-africa-2019-2022.png)
11. Smartphone penetration is increasing at still at a low level per home
![](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/smartphone-penetration-is-raising-for-each-home-in-south-africa-dec-2018-1024x569.png)
Establishment survey from the broadcast research council of South Africa.
12. Mobile 4G coverage is at more than 70% of South Africa
Data from OpenSignal report 2018. “MTN once again topped our 4G availability metric with a score of 78%, extending its lead over closest rival Vodacom to over 6 percentage points. Vodacom’s score of 72% in our measurements was followed by Cell C on 68% and Telkom with 66%.”
Download speed for 4G in South Africa is quite good too. Data is from the same OpenSignal report.
![4G-download-speed-in-south-africa-2019](https://www.chandlernguyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/4G-download-speed-in-south-africa-2019-1024x526.png)
That’s all from me.
Thanks,
Chandler