Collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa

South Africa: Collective bargaining coverage rate was 30.1 in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
30.1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
32nd
of 68 countries
All-time high
32.9
in 2010
All-time low
29.1
in 2015
Years of data
10
2010–2019

Collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa, 2010–2019

01020302010201420192010: 32.92011: 31.82012: 32.72013: 30.72014: 30.82015: 29.12016: 29.92017: 302018: 30.12019: 30.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2019, collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa stood at 30.1.

That represents a change of down 8.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa peaked at 32.9 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 29.1, in 2015.

That places South Africa 32nd out of 68 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

Collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa, 2010 to 2019.
Year Value Change
2010 32.9
2011 31.8 -3.3%
2012 32.7 +2.8%
2013 30.7 -6.1%
2014 30.8 +0.3%
2015 29.1 -5.5%
2016 29.9 +2.7%
2017 30 +0.3%
2018 30.1 +0.3%
2019 30.1 +0.0%

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 29 Ireland 33.5 compare
  2. 30 Czechia 32.1 compare
  3. 31 Canada 31.3 compare
  4. 33 Russian Federation 28.5 compare
  5. 34 Zambia 27.6 compare
  6. 35 Latvia 27.3 compare

See the full ranking of 68 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa?
Collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa was 30.1 in 2019, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 32.9 in 2010.
What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 29.1 in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for collective bargaining coverage rate?
South Africa ranks 32nd out of 68 countries with data for 2019.
Is collective bargaining coverage rate rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Collective bargaining coverage rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Collective bargaining coverage rate in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/collective-bargaining-coverage-rate/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Collective bargaining coverage rate
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
68 places, 795 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

The collective bargaining coverage rate conveys the number of employees whose pay and/or conditions of employment are determined by one or more collective agreement(s) as a percentage of the total number of employees. Collective bargaining coverage includes, to the extent possible, workers covered by collective agreements in virtue of their extension. Collective bargaining coverage rates are adjusted for the possibility that some workers do not have the right to bargain collectively over wages (e.g. workers in the public services who have their wages determined by state regulation or other methods involving consultation), unless otherwise stated in the notes. The statistics presented in this table result from an ILO data compilation effort (including an annual questionnaire and numerous special enquiries), with contributions from J. Visser. For more information, refer to the Industrial Relations data (IRdata) database description.