Eastern Africa vs South Africa: Employment
Employment over time
- Eastern Africa
- South Africa
How they compare
Eastern Africa currently reports 209,236 against 18,073 in South Africa, a difference of 191,163.
That makes Eastern Africa's figure about 11.6 times South Africa's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, Eastern Africa has been ahead every year.
Eastern Africa ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 36th of 87 groups.
Eastern Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eastern Africa | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 88,027 | 12,468 | 75,559 | Eastern Africa |
| 2000s | 117,004 | 14,622 | 102,382 | Eastern Africa |
| 2010s | 156,492 | 15,992 | 140,500 | Eastern Africa |
| 2020s | 192,806 | 16,851 | 175,956 | Eastern Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher employment, Eastern Africa or South Africa?
- Eastern Africa, at 209,236 against 18,073 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in employment between Eastern Africa and South Africa?
- 191,163, with Eastern Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eastern Africa and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do Eastern Africa and South Africa rank globally for employment?
- Eastern Africa ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 36th of 87 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.