Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Employment
Employment over time
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 18,073 against 16,665 in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 1,408.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Saudi Arabia ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 36th of 188 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3,684 | 12,468 | 8,783 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6,172 | 14,622 | 8,450 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 11,632 | 15,992 | 4,359 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 15,098 | 16,851 | 1,753 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher employment, Saudi Arabia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 18,073 against 16,665 in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in employment between Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 1,408, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do Saudi Arabia and South Africa rank globally for employment?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 36th of 188 countries.
- 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.