Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa

South Africa: Productivity vs annual hours worked was 2,181 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2,181
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
30th
of 129 countries
All-time high
2,399
in 2005
All-time low
2,072
in 2020
Years of data
22
2001–2023

Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa, 2001–2023

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2.5k2001201220232001: 2.4k2002: 2.4k2003: 2.3k2004: 2.3k2005: 2.4k2006: 2.3k2007: 2.3k2008: 2.3k2009: 2.2k2010: 2.2k2011: 2.3k2012: 2.2k2013: 2.2k2014: 2.2k2016: 2.2k2017: 2.2k2018: 2.2k2019: 2.2k2020: 2.1k2021: 2.2k2022: 2.2k2023: 2.2k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa is 2,181, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa peaked at 2,399 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,072, in 2020.

That places South Africa 30th out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 2,376
2002 2,383 +0.3%
2003 2,319 -2.7%
2004 2,342 +1.0%
2005 2,399 +2.4%
2006 2,316 -3.5%
2007 2,322 +0.3%
2008 2,284 -1.6%
2009 2,249 -1.5%
2010 2,236 -0.6%
2011 2,255 +0.8%
2012 2,224 -1.4%
2013 2,212 -0.5%
2014 2,209 -0.1%
2016 2,218 +0.4%
2017 2,197 -1.0%
2018 2,191 -0.3%
2019 2,207 +0.7%
2020 2,072 -6.1%
2021 2,154 +4.0%
2022 2,184 +1.4%
2023 2,181 -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2,332 2,249 2,399 9
2010s 2,217 2,191 2,255 9
2020s 2,148 2,072 2,184 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 27 Zambia 2,200 compare
  2. 28 Myanmar 2,197 compare
  3. 29 Namibia 2,184 compare
  4. 31 Cameroon 2,181 compare
  5. 32 Turkmenistan 2,179 compare
  6. 33 Thailand 2,177 compare

See the full ranking of 129 places →

More economy & growth data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa?
Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa was 2,181 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest productivity vs annual hours worked recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2,399 in 2005.
What is the lowest productivity vs annual hours worked recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2,072 in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for productivity vs annual hours worked?
South Africa ranks 30th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
Is productivity vs annual hours worked rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs annual hours worked. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/productivity-vs-annual-hours-worked/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Productivity vs annual hours worked
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
129 places, 4,891 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed