South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income: Labour dependency ratio

South Africa
2.58
in 2027
Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income
1.59
in 2027
South Africa rank
20th
Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income rank
21st

Labour dependency ratio over time

  • South Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income
0123199120092027

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 2.58 against 1.59 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income, a difference of 0.99.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.6 times Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income's.

Across all 37 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 20th and Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income ranks 21st of 188 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income Difference Ahead
1990s 2.56 1.57 0.9982 South Africa
2000s 2.37 1.58 0.7896 South Africa
2010s 2.5 1.63 0.8677 South Africa
2020s 2.69 1.65 1.05 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher labour dependency ratio, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
South Africa, at 2.58 against 1.59 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income as of 2027.
What is the difference in labour dependency ratio between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
0.99, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income?
37 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2027.
How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income rank globally for labour dependency ratio?
South Africa ranks 20th and Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income ranks 21st of 188 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Labour Organization, published as Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income: Labour dependency ratio. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/labour-dependency-ratio-ilo-modelled-estimates/south-africa/sub-saharan-africa-low-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
276 places, 10,188 data points, 1991–2027
Last refreshed

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. This indicator provides the ratio of dependents (persons aged 0 to 14 + persons aged 15 and above that are either outside the labour force or unemployed) to total employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.