Brazil vs South Africa: Potential labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Potential labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) over time
- Brazil
- South Africa
How they compare
Brazil currently reports 5,454 against 4,135 in South Africa, a difference of 1,319.
That makes Brazil's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
Across all 12 years both countries report, Brazil has been ahead every year.
Brazil ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 3rd of 88 countries.
Brazil has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5,987 | 3,304 | 2,682 | Brazil |
| 2020s | 8,285 | 4,287 | 3,998 | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher potential labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13), Brazil or South Africa?
- Brazil, at 5,454 against 4,135 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in potential labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) between Brazil and South Africa?
- 1,319, with Brazil ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Africa?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2024.
- How do Brazil and South Africa rank globally for potential labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Brazil ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 3rd of 88 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Potential labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The potential labour force refers to persons not in employment who express an interest in this form of work but for whom existing conditions limit their active job search and/or their availability. This group is used to calculate alternative measures of labour underutilization. Data disaggregated by level of education are provided on the highest level of education completed, classified according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCED. For more information, refer to the Education and Mismatch Indicators (EMI) database description.