OECD's 2013 Economic Survey of South Africa examines recent economic developments, policies and prospects. Special chapters cover improving education quality and green growth. The OECD state that South Africa is advancing, but failing to fully achieve its considerable potential. Per capita incomes are growing, public services are expanding, health indicators are improving, crime rates are falling and demographic trends are favourable. The public finances are in better shape than those of many OECD countries, the financial system is healthy and core inflation is stable and within the central bank's target zone. The macroeconomic policy mix has been insufficiently supportive of growth while allowing large budget deficits. The deficit expanded rapidly in cyclically adjusted terms during the crisis and has been brought down only gradually since. The interaction of weak competition in product markets and dysfuntional labour markets is holding back growth and aggravating unemployment. Mosty industries are highly concentrated, with network industries dominated by state-owned enterprises, and the weakness of competitive pressures contributes to below-par innovation. Education is a critical problem. Whilst greater use of market instruments can help deal with long-term environmental challenges at least cost and limited demands on scare administrative capacity.