Female labor force by age in South Africa
South Africa: Female labor force by age was 131,182 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Female labor force by age in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 131,182 for female labor force by age in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 18.6% on the previous year and up 70.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force by age in South Africa peaked at 131,182 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38,486, in 1990.
That places South Africa 55th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Female labor force by age in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 38,486 | — |
| 1991 | 39,530 | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 41,182 | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 41,761 | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 43,303 | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 46,659 | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 50,115 | +7.4% |
| 1997 | 53,653 | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 56,409 | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 58,902 | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 61,142 | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 63,378 | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 65,523 | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 67,642 | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 69,628 | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 71,461 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 72,904 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 74,046 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 75,136 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 68,923 | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 71,019 | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 59,255 | -16.6% |
| 2012 | 47,935 | -19.1% |
| 2013 | 68,108 | +42.1% |
| 2014 | 76,942 | +13.0% |
| 2015 | 83,603 | +8.7% |
| 2016 | 72,223 | -13.6% |
| 2017 | 81,830 | +13.3% |
| 2018 | 97,233 | +18.8% |
| 2019 | 91,975 | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 87,075 | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 84,274 | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 79,097 | -6.1% |
| 2023 | 110,572 | +39.8% |
| 2024 | 131,182 | +18.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 131,182 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,662, 4.6× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 131,182 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 79,623, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Female labor force by age in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +42.1% | 47,935 | 68,108 |
| 2023 | +39.8% | 79,097 | 110,572 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47,000 | 38,486 | 58,902 | 10 |
| 2000s | 68,978 | 61,142 | 75,136 | 10 |
| 2010s | 75,012 | 47,935 | 97,233 | 10 |
| 2020s | 98,440 | 79,097 | 131,182 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More work & labour data for South Africa
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.242 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2122 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8748 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 58,057 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14,698 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 49,126 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 45,189 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 94,314 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force by age in South Africa?
- Female labor force by age in South Africa was 131,182 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force by age recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 131,182 in 2024.
- What is the lowest female labor force by age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38,486 in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for female labor force by age?
- South Africa ranks 55th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is female labor force by age rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force by age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).