Informal employment in South Africa
South Africa: Informal employment was 5,963 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2024, informal employment in South Africa stood at 5,963. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in South Africa peaked at 5,963 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4,621, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 20th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Informal employment in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5,603 | — |
| 2001 | 5,492 | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 4,741 | -13.7% |
| 2003 | 4,729 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 4,786 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 5,246 | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 5,511 | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 5,725 | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 5,216 | -8.9% |
| 2009 | 4,825 | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 4,744 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 4,640 | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 4,621 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 4,845 | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 4,918 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 5,463 | +11.1% |
| 2016 | 5,407 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 5,602 | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 5,780 | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 5,727 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 4,782 | -16.5% |
| 2021 | 4,820 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 5,429 | +12.6% |
| 2023 | 5,692 | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 5,963 | +4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5,187 | 4,729 | 5,725 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,175 | 4,621 | 5,780 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,337 | 4,782 | 5,963 | 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 informal employment in South Africa?
- Informal employment in South Africa was 5,963 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5,963 in 2024.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,621 in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for informal employment?
- South Africa ranks 20th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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. This harmonized series for informal employment is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.