Dataset Update: Expanded StatsSA Producer Price Indices

We are pleased to announce a significant update to the Producer Price Index (PPI) dataset on EconData, reflecting the newly expanded and highly detailed series published by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) earlier this year. For analysts tracking price pressures down to the micro-level, this update introduces a wealth of granular data, allowing for deeper insights into the South African manufacturing and production landscape. Here is everything you need to know about the latest dataset changes and how to navigate the new version on EconData.

The StatsSA Update

On 26 February 2026, StatsSA released the January 2026 PPI data, marking a shift in their publication detail. Along with the standard headline and high-level category indices, StatsSA began publishing an expanded set of detailed producer price indices. This newly released granularity offers economists and data scientists an unprecedented look at exact product-level price movements.

EconData Version 1.3.0 and Vintages

To accommodate these extensive new series, we incremented the StatsSA PPI dataset on EconData from version 1.2.0 to 1.3.0. This change was rolled out to our subscribers one month after StatsSA’s changes, on 26 March.

• Vintages: The new 1.3.0 version vintages commence with the January 2026 reference month (published by StatsSA on 26 February 2026).
• Backwards Compatibility: The mnemonics of the series in the previous version is the same as the those mnemonics (first dimension) of the new version, but we have added a second dimension to the series key.

New Dimension: Economic Activity

The most notable architectural change in version 1.3.0 is the introduction of a new dimension: Economic Activity. As the number of series has grown exponentially, flat categorisation is no longer sufficient. The Economic Activity dimension structurally groups similar product categories together, making it far easier to filter, search, and aggregate related detailed indices. The weights for the series have also been included in the metadata (please either aggregate on the detailed set, or the top level of the hierarchy). These groupings are also reflected in the label concept, providing immediate, readable context for every series.

Mnemonics and Granular Examples

While legacy series retain their old mnemonics, the newly added expanded series adopt their original series IDs directly from StatsSA. To illustrate how the new Economic Activity dimension and granular series IDs interact alongside our existing data, consider the breakdown of meat products below (with the series keys shown after the series name).

• Existing Aggregate Series (second dimension added in the series key):
  • Meat and meat products: PPI005.3011
• New Detailed Series (Grouped under Economic Activity):
  • Beef carcasses: PPI211110001.3011
  • Pork carcasses: PPI211130001.3011
  • Lamb carcasses: PPI211150001.3011
  • Chicken – fresh or chilled: PPI211210001.3011
  • Frozen chicken PPI211410001.3011
  • Offals of mammals PPI211500001.3011
  • Offals of poultry PPI211600001.3011
  • Polony PPI211840001.3011
  • Meat burgers PPI211840002.3011
  • Russians and viennas PPI211840003.3011

This update empowers EconData users to track the exact drivers of aggregate inflation. Whether you are building granular cost-push models or simply isolating the specific price trends of fresh chicken versus beef carcasses, the new 1.3.0 dataset provides the precision you need.

The updated dataset is available via the EconData platform and API to subscribers.