Levels of extreme poverty have declined from around 50% in 2002 to about 20% today; the number of people with jobs has doubled over the past two decades and the middle class has doubled in size.
These are just a few of the “reasons for hope” listed in the Institute for Race Relations’ (IRR) report released today (Tuesday) and titled ‘Life in South Africa: Reasons for Hope’. It sets out the social and economic progress the country has made since 1994.
The report found progress in areas ranging from the economy to crime, education, healthcare and living standards.
IRR research analyst and report author, John Bostock, said; “IRR analysts continue to uncover progress in socio-economic areas that South Africans tend to associate with failure. Too few people are aware of the progress we have made as a country and, through this report, we hope to bring some balance back into national and media debates.”
