Facts about Joburg

Facts about Joburg
Johannesburg has become an internationally renowned and vibrant metropolis, with over 5.5 million (5,538,596) inhabitants. Since 2011 the population growth rate has been declining from 3,5% to 2,4%. However, this was significantly higher than the Gauteng and National average, indicating that the City remains an inward migration pole (Cogta, 2019). In 2018, the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality achieved an annual growth rate of 0.77% which is a slightly lower GDP growth than the Gauteng Province's 1.12%, and is lower than that of South Africa, where the 2018 GDP growth rate was 0.79%. Similar to the short-term growth rate of 2018, the longer-term average growth rate for City of Johannesburg (1.50%) is also very similar than that of South Africa (1.50%). The economic growth in City of Johannesburg peaked in 2008 at 4.66% (Cogta, 2019). It is the most powerful commercial centre on the African continent. Johannesburg generates 16 percent of South Africa's GDP and employs 12 percent of the national workforce.Its infrastructure matches leading first world cities, yet the cost of living is far lower. The city is recognized as the financial capital of South Africa and is home to 74 percent of Corporate Headquarter. South Africa’s only stock exchange, the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) rates as one of the top 20 exchanges in the world in terms of market capitalisation. The city’s profusion of trees over 6 million, make it the largest, man-made forest in the world. Climate – temperature neither humid nor too hot for comfort, year-round sunshine and daily Clear blue skies. Winters are short and mild. Medical care is first-world, sophisticated and dependable. Johannesburg has become a destination of choice for business due to an outstanding reputation for quality and affordability. After modest beginnings as a mining town, Johannesburg has become recognised as a major world city and the economic capital of both South and sub-Saharan Africa. The greater Johannesburg metropolis covers an area of 2 300km2, making it larger than Sydney, London or New York, and similar in size to Los Angeles The economy of Johannesburg today reflects successive waves of development and decline, which have seen the city move away from mining and industry towards an economy fundamentally based on services and trade, along with high-value manufacturing in line with global trends Employment by sector According to Cogta (2019), The city also provides the highest number of jobs compared to other cities in the Province i.e. 2.13 million people or 41.88% of the total employment in Gauteng Province is employed within the Metro. About 52,6% of the economically active population are employed, in Johannesburg. 77% of them are employed in the formal sector. The finance sector employs the most with for 26.1% of those employed in that sector. 22% are employed in the trade and retail sector. 17% are in the community services sector which includes the general government services, given that the provincial capital is in the city. The agriculture sector employs the least share of people at 0.6%. 8% of the employed are employed in the informal sector, which has significantly grown from employing 225 000 people in 2008 to an estimated 351 000 in 2018.4 Most of these jobs are generated in trade. Only 5% of young people are employed in the highly skilled manufacturing sector, thus pointing to a need for education and skills development targeting this youth. The largest share of Johannesburg’s population, about 40%, is within the young working age (25-44 years) category. Relative to the national population, Johannesburg has a significantly larger share of the working age population between 25 and 49 years old. This may be because young people migrate to Johannesburg to look for opportunities (Cogta, 2019). Johannesburg by numbers Founded in 1886 – Johannesburg is one of the world’s youngest major cities Within a century, the city has been rebuilt four times: from a tented camp, it evolved into a town of tin shanties, followed by four-storey Edwardian brick buildings, before morphing into a city of modern skyscrapers Johannesburg houses the tallest office block in Africa, the Carlton Centre (50 storeys) and the tallest tower, the Hillbrow Tower (270m, or 90 storeys) Johannesburg is nicknamed 'Egoli', which means 'place of gold'. Forty percent of the world's gold has been found in the Witwatersrand, the reef on which the city was built The altitude is 2 000m above sea level. Because Johannesburg's air is thinner than that at the coast, eggs take an extra minute to boil at this altitude There are over 10 million trees in Johannesburg The city enjoys an average of 12 hours of sunlight a day

Johannesburg has become an internationally renowned and vibrant metropolis, with over 5.5 million (5,538,596) inhabitants.

Since 2011 the population growth rate has been declining from 3,5% to 2,4%. However, this was significantly higher than the Gauteng and National average, indicating that the City remains an inward migration pole (Cogta, 2019).

In 2018, the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality achieved an annual growth

rate of 0.77% which is a slightly lower GDP growth than the Gauteng Province's 1.12%,

and is lower than that of South Africa, where the 2018 GDP growth rate was 0.79%.

Similar to the short-term growth rate of 2018, the longer-term average growth rate for

City of Johannesburg (1.50%) is also very similar than that of South Africa (1.50%).

The economic growth in City of Johannesburg peaked in 2008 at 4.66% (Cogta, 2019).

It is the most powerful commercial centre on the African continent.
Johannesburg generates 16 percent of South Africa's GDP and employs 12 percent of the national workforce.Its infrastructure matches leading first world cities, yet the cost of living is far lower. The city is recognized as the financial capital of South Africa and is home to 74 percent of Corporate Headquarter.
South Africa’s only stock exchange, the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) rates as one of the top 20 exchanges in the world in terms of market capitalisation.
The city’s profusion of trees over 6 million, make it the largest, man-made forest in the world.
Climate – temperature neither humid nor too hot for comfort, year-round sunshine and daily
Clear blue skies. Winters are short and mild.
Medical care is first-world, sophisticated and dependable.
Johannesburg has become a destination of choice for business due to an outstanding reputation for quality and affordability.
After modest beginnings as a mining town, Johannesburg has become recognised as a major world city and the economic capital of both South and sub-Saharan Africa.
The greater Johannesburg metropolis covers an area of 2 300km2, making it larger than Sydney, London or New York, and similar in size to Los Angeles
The economy of Johannesburg today reflects successive waves of development and decline, which have seen the city move away from mining and industry towards an economy fundamentally based on services and trade, along with high-value manufacturing in line with global trends

Employment by sector

According to Cogta (2019), The city also provides the highest number of jobs compared to other cities in the Province i.e. 2.13 million people or 41.88% of the total employment in Gauteng Province is employed within the Metro. About 52,6% of the economically active population are employed, in Johannesburg. 77% of them are employed in the formal sector. The finance sector employs the most with for 26.1% of those employed in that sector. 22% are employed in the trade and retail sector. 17% are in the community services sector which includes the general government services, given that the provincial capital is in the city. The agriculture sector employs the least share of people at 0.6%. 8% of the employed are employed in the informal sector, which has significantly grown from employing 225 000 people in 2008 to an estimated 351 000 in 2018.4 Most of these jobs are generated in trade. Only 5% of young people are employed in the highly skilled manufacturing sector, thus pointing to a need for education and skills development targeting this youth.

The largest share of Johannesburg’s population, about 40%, is within the young working age (25-44 years) category. Relative to the national population, Johannesburg has a significantly larger share of the working age population between 25 and 49 years old. This may be because young people migrate to Johannesburg to look for opportunities (Cogta, 2019).

Johannesburg by numbers

Founded in 1886 – Johannesburg is one of the world’s youngest major cities
Within a century, the city has been rebuilt four times: from a tented camp, it evolved into a town of tin shanties, followed by four-storey Edwardian brick buildings, before morphing into a city of modern skyscrapers
Johannesburg houses the tallest office block in Africa, the Carlton Centre (50 storeys) and the tallest tower, the Hillbrow Tower (270m, or 90 storeys)
Johannesburg is nicknamed 'Egoli', which means 'place of gold'. Forty percent of the world's gold has been found in the Witwatersrand, the reef on which the city was built
The altitude is 2 000m above sea level. Because Johannesburg's air is thinner than that at the coast, eggs take an extra minute to boil at this altitude
There are over 10 million trees in Johannesburg
The city enjoys an average of 12 hours of sunlight a day