Fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa
South Africa: Fertility and female labor force participation was 49.77 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
49.77
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
124th
of 194 countries
All-time high
49.77
in 2024
All-time low
16.7
in 1960
Years of data
35
1960–2024
Fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa stood at 49.77. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa peaked at 49.77 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.7, in 1960.
That places South Africa 124th out of 194 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.
Fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 16.7 | — |
| 1970 | 24.1 | +44.3% |
| 1980 | 22.8 | -5.4% |
| 1985 | 26.7 | +17.1% |
| 1991 | 29.5 | +10.5% |
| 1994 | 38.9 | +31.9% |
| 1996 | 36.6 | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 33.8 | -7.7% |
| 1998 | 37.1 | +9.8% |
| 1999 | 43.9 | +18.3% |
| 2000 | 42.61 | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 42.22 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 40.78 | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 39.91 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 38.01 | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 39.87 | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 40.5 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 40.5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 47.93 | +18.3% |
| 2009 | 46.26 | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 44.64 | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 45.03 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 45.22 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 46.17 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 46.39 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 47.64 | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 47.65 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 48.52 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 48.42 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 48.49 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 44.08 | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 45.35 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 47.07 | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 49.02 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 49.77 | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 1 |
| 1970s | 24.1 | 24.1 | 24.1 | 1 |
| 1980s | 24.75 | 22.8 | 26.7 | 2 |
| 1990s | 36.63 | 29.5 | 43.9 | 6 |
| 2000s | 41.86 | 38.01 | 47.93 | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.82 | 44.64 | 48.52 | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.06 | 44.08 | 49.77 | 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 fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa?
- Fertility and female labor force participation in South Africa was 49.77 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility and female labor force participation recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 49.77 in 2024.
- What is the lowest fertility and female labor force participation recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7 in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for fertility and female labor force participation?
- South Africa ranks 124th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility and female labor force participation rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. 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 Fertility and female labor force participation. 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).