ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa

South Africa: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural was 607.07 1000 No in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
607.07 1000 No
Change on year
down 72.7%
World rank
42nd
of 80 countries
All-time high
2,275 1000 No
in 2016
All-time low
607.07 1000 No
in 2024
Years of data
17
2008–2024

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa, 2008–2024

5001.0k1.5k2.0k2.5k2008201620242008: 1.8k 1000 No2009: 1.8k 1000 No2010: 1.7k 1000 No2011: 1.7k 1000 No2012: 1.7k 1000 No2013: 1.9k 1000 No2014: 1.9k 1000 No2015: 2.2k 1000 No2016: 2.3k 1000 No2017: 2.2k 1000 No2018: 2.2k 1000 No2019: 2.2k 1000 No2020: 2.1k 1000 No2021: 2.0k 1000 No2022: 2.0k 1000 No2023: 2.2k 1000 No2024: 607.1 1000 No

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 No.

Analysis

In 2024, ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa stood at 607.07 1000 No. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 72.7% on the previous year and down 68.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa peaked at 2,275 1000 No in 2016 and was at its lowest, 607.07 1000 No, in 2024.

South Africa ranks 42nd of 80 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural areas — Male — Value in South Africa, 2008 to 2024.
Year 1000 No Change
2008 1,813 1000 No
2009 1,763 1000 No -2.8%
2010 1,698 1000 No -3.7%
2011 1,666 1000 No -1.9%
2012 1,747 1000 No +4.8%
2013 1,868 1000 No +6.9%
2014 1,907 1000 No +2.1%
2015 2,241 1000 No +17.5%
2016 2,275 1000 No +1.5%
2017 2,155 1000 No -5.3%
2018 2,169 1000 No +0.6%
2019 2,170 1000 No +0.0%
2020 2,055 1000 No -5.3%
2021 1,998 1000 No -2.8%
2022 2,014 1000 No +0.8%
2023 2,220 1000 No +10.2%
2024 607.07 1000 No -72.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 607.07 1000 No is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,151 1000 No, 53% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 607.07 1000 No is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,692 1000 No, 36% of the median. (8 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2024 -72.7% 2,220 1000 No 607.07 1000 No

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,788 1000 No 1,763 1000 No 1,813 1000 No 2
2010s 1,990 1000 No 1,666 1000 No 2,275 1000 No 10
2020s 1,779 1000 No 607.07 1000 No 2,220 1000 No 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 39 Slovakia 655.99 1000 No compare
  2. 40 Chile 639.94 1000 No compare
  3. 41 Ireland 623.85 1000 No compare
  4. 43 Portugal 587.61 1000 No compare
  5. 44 Greece 533.32 1000 No compare
  6. 45 Denmark 522.19 1000 No compare

See the full ranking of 88 places →

More economy & growth data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa?
Ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa was 607.07 1000 No in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2,275 1000 No in 2016.
What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 607.07 1000 No in 2024.
How does South Africa rank for ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural?
South Africa ranks 42nd out of 80 countries with data for 2024.
Is ilostat - labour force survey — employment by age, total (15+), rural rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 68.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural areas — Male — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/ilostat-labour-force-survey-employment-by-age-total-15-rural-areas-male-value/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Employment by age, total (15+), rural areas — Male — Value
Unit
1000 No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
88 places, 1,579 data points, 1987–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database.