ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in South Africa
South Africa: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by was 52.78 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in South Africa, 2008–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in South Africa stood at 52.78 %. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in South Africa peaked at 52.78 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.56 %, in 2011.
That places South Africa 79th out of 79 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 47.44 % | — |
| 2009 | 44.69 % | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 41.97 % | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 40.56 % | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 42.09 % | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 43.34 % | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 43.54 % | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 47.11 % | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 47.82 % | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 47.83 % | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 48.08 % | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 48.57 % | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 46.57 % | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 47.87 % | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 49.07 % | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 50.76 % | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 52.78 % | +4.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 52.78 % is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 75.57 %, 70% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 52.78 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69 %, 76% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.06 % | 44.69 % | 47.44 % | 2 |
| 2010s | 45.09 % | 40.56 % | 48.57 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.41 % | 46.57 % | 52.78 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -4.01 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0094 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -61.95 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -2.16 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -192.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0051 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -33.37 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 16.18 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in South Africa?
- Ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in South Africa was 52.78 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 52.78 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.56 % in 2011.
- How does South Africa rank for ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by?
- South Africa ranks 79th out of 79 countries with data for 2024.
- Is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Male — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
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.