Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa

South Africa: Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in was 85.28 % in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
85.28 %
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
19th
of 68 countries
All-time high
88.18 %
in 2014
All-time low
70.55 %
in 2001
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 77.3 %2001: 70.5 %2002: 77.7 %2003: 77.9 %2004: 78.7 %2005: 76.7 %2006: 77.1 %2007: 79.2 %2008: 84 %2009: 85.4 %2010: 85.3 %2011: 85.8 %2012: 86.9 %2013: 87 %2014: 88.2 %2015: 87.9 %2016: 87.7 %2017: 87 %2018: 87.5 %2019: 86.7 %2020: 86.7 %2021: 86.7 %2022: 86.8 %2023: 86.3 %2024: 85.3 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa is 85.28 %, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa peaked at 88.18 % in 2014 and was at its lowest, 70.55 %, in 2001.

South Africa ranks 19th of 68 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Total employment — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 77.27 %
2001 70.55 % -8.7%
2002 77.68 % +10.1%
2003 77.88 % +0.3%
2004 78.74 % +1.1%
2005 76.67 % -2.6%
2006 77.09 % +0.5%
2007 79.17 % +2.7%
2008 83.99 % +6.1%
2009 85.38 % +1.7%
2010 85.32 % -0.1%
2011 85.83 % +0.6%
2012 86.91 % +1.3%
2013 87.04 % +0.1%
2014 88.18 % +1.3%
2015 87.93 % -0.3%
2016 87.66 % -0.3%
2017 87.02 % -0.7%
2018 87.46 % +0.5%
2019 86.69 % -0.9%
2020 86.72 % +0.0%
2021 86.68 % -0.0%
2022 86.78 % +0.1%
2023 86.35 % -0.5%
2024 85.28 % -1.2%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 85.28 % is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.45 %, 1.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 85.28 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.66 %, 3.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 78.44 % 70.55 % 85.38 % 10
2010s 87 % 85.32 % 88.18 % 10
2020s 86.36 % 85.28 % 86.78 % 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 16 Austria 87.34 % compare
  2. 17 North Macedonia 86.88 % compare
  3. 18 Mauritius 86.59 % compare
  4. 20 Switzerland 84.98 % compare
  5. 21 Italy 83.72 % compare
  6. 22 Grenada 82.89 % compare

See the full ranking of 77 places →

More economy & growth data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa?
Share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa was 85.28 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 88.18 % in 2014.
What is the lowest share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 70.55 % in 2001.
How does South Africa rank for share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in?
South Africa ranks 19th out of 68 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employees in [industry] out of total employment in rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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 Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Total employment — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employees-in-industry-out-of-total-employment-in-industry-by-sex-total-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of Employees in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Total employment — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
77 places, 1,154 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed

The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.