Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national in South Africa
South Africa: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national was 26.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 26.8% for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in South Africa peaked at 30.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 1991.
That places South Africa 152nd out of 176 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.4% | — |
| 1970 | 20.5% | +11.5% |
| 1980 | 15.5% | -24.3% |
| 1985 | 16.1% | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 13.0% | -19.0% |
| 1997 | 19.6% | +50.3% |
| 1998 | 22.9% | +16.8% |
| 1999 | 27.1% | +18.3% |
| 2000 | 29.4% | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 29.7% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 29.9% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 28.7% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 27.1% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 28.4% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 28.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 30.7% | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 28.1% | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 26.2% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 25.5% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 25.4% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 25.8% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 25.3% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 26.4% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 26.7% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 25.4% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 25.7% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | -18.7% |
| 2021 | 22.0% | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | +17.2% |
| 2023 | 27.0% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 26.8% | -0.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 26.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.6%, 69% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 26.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 41.4%, 65% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) … national 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +50.3% | 13.0% | 19.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 1 |
| 1970s | 20.5% | 20.5% | 20.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 15.8% | 15.5% | 16.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 20.7% | 13.0% | 27.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 28.8% | 27.1% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.9% | 25.3% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.5% | 20.9% | 27.0% | 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 labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in South Africa?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in South Africa was 26.8% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 30.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 1991.
- How does South Africa rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%)?
- South Africa ranks 152nd out of 176 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.