It’s been a big year – one shaped by major national and international events – national elections in 60 countries, including South Africa, unrest and military conflict, the unstoppable AI tsunami as well unforgettable sporting events like the Olympics. But, as always, data remained our steady North Star as we sought to understand the world around us.

The Outlier’s collection of charts surpassed the 650-mark this year, an accomplishment our small team is very proud of. The list below are the 15 most-viewed charts on our website this year, which cover topics as diverse as politics, television, travel and, of course, money.

15: Cost of living crisis

The demand for credit has increased but approvals remain steady

South Africans are feeling the squeeze, with more people applying for credit but fewer getting approved. Between July and September 2022, only 31% of credit applications were approved – half the approval rate of 2007. High-interest rates and the soaring cost of living are making it harder for people to qualify for loans or stay on top of them. About 10-million borrowers were three months or more behind on their repayments in 2023. READ MORE

14: Tourism recovers

The number of visitors to the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town hit 2.8-million in 2023, which is 1-million more (+56%) than in 2022. This increase reflects a strong post-pandemic recovery, which is mirrored by the 44% rise in visitors to the Table Mountain cableway. The last time visitors to the cableway were over 1-million was in 2019. READ MORE

13: Losing sparkle

South Africa’s diamond production dropped to a 10-year low of 6.1-million carats in 2023, largely due to the closure of De Beers’ Venetia mine open-pit operations. While still a top 10 producer globally, South Africa now contributes just 5% of the world’s diamonds. READ MORE

12: Funding politics

97% of the publicity reported political donations went to just three parties: ANC, DA and ActionSA

In an election year, this chart struck a chord (as did our Political Party Funding Dashboard). All political parties in South Africa are legally obliged to disclose any donation above R100,000 to the Electoral Commission. The funding split did not reflect the final election results, with the new MK Party claiming a surprising 14.58% of the vote. READ MORE

11. Just not cricket

Ioannis Theodosiou, a Counter-Strike player, has won almost R4-million from playing the game

Who knew that playing soccer with flying cars could bring in the big bucks? READ MORE

10. Bad weather

African natural disasters

Our first chart of the new year, showing that South Africa has recorded the second-highest number of natural disasters on the continent in the past two decades. The data includes 2023’s Christmas floods in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. READ MORE

9. Screen king

This chart was a hit on Instagram, reaching more than 125,140 accounts! Netflix subscribers may have watched 22 titles for over 200-million hours in the last half of 2023, but we still haven’t got round to watching King the Land. Have you? Let us know what your Netflix show of 2024 has been. READ MORE

8. Grant failure

More than half of SA’s grant recipients now use commercial banks as state Postbank fails to deliver

Postbank’s battle to reliably pay people their monthly grants led recipients to new banks. Capitec, for example, grew its number of grant account holders by almost 1.1-million to 3-million in the same 12 months which saw Postbank losing 1.8-million customers. READ MORE

7. Lost rhinos

Good news and terrible news. Although rhino poaching in South Africa is better than it used to be, especially in areas run by SANParks, poaching in KwaZulu-Natal is rising at an alarming rate. In 2023, 325 rhinos were killed – 307 of whom were in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, which is run by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. READ MORE

6. (U)SA

There were about 117,000 people born in South Africa living in the US in 2020 – an 80% increase over the past two decades. READ MORE

5: Missed train

Post-Covid work habits hamper Gautrain's recovery

Although things have started to improve for Joburg’s high-speed commuter train since the Covid pandemic, rates are still far from what they used to be. Numbers, the agency says, have been hit by changing work habits and the increased number of people who work from home. READ MORE

4. New shores

The United Kingdom and Australia still the top destinations for South Africans

Just more than 900,000 South Africans were living abroad in 2020. In 2000, there were about 500,000 South African expats. The number of Saffers in the UK has increased by about 80% in the past 20 years and there are more than double the South Africans living in Australia and New Zealand (273,000). READ MORE

3: Family money

These families, businesses and trusts contributed 81% of the R437-million declared donations between 2021 and 2023

In an election year, political party funding was always going to be a hot topic. One-third of funding declared to the IEC came from two sources: billionaire businessman Martin Moshal and the Oppenheimers, Africa’s third-richest family. READ MORE

2: Just now

Most South Africans vote between 7am and 9am.
To avoid long lines, vote later in the day

South Africans tend to make a plan – even when it comes to voting. This chart went viral on social media, with family and friends sharing it on WhatsApp. But despite being forewarned, queues on the day were slow moving and voting went on far beyond the 9pm closing time. READ MORE

1. Fierce competition

Showmax is gaining ground on Netflix in South Africa

A lot – and not much – has changed since this chart was published in March. Showmax owner MultiChoice says the streaming service recorded ‘significant subscriber growth’ in the past six months. According to the company’s interim results ended September 2024, Showmax increased its subscriber base by 50% from a year ago. It’s possible that this means it has extended its lead over Netflix in Africa and potentially overtaken the US giant’s subscriber numbers in South Africa. READ MORE