Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs … gaps in South Africa

South Africa: Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs … gaps was 24.67 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
24.67
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
134th
of 171 countries
All-time high
27.82
in 2002
All-time low
11.26
in 1960
Years of data
33
1960–2024

Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa, 1960–2024

01020301960199220241960: 11.31970: 16.81980: 11.91985: 13.91991: 11.61997: 17.31998: 20.41999: 25.72000: 26.82001: 27.52002: 27.82003: 26.72004: 25.32005: 25.42006: 26.72007: 26.12008: 27.82009: 25.32010: 23.52011: 23.52012: 22.92013: 23.62014: 22.82015: 23.82016: 23.62017: 24.22018: 22.62019: 23.22020: 19.12021: 20.42022: 23.22023: 252024: 24.7

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

In 2024, labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa stood at 24.67.

The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa peaked at 27.82 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 11.26, in 1960.

That places South Africa 134th out of 171 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 rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs … gaps in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980, gaps filled in South Africa, 1960 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1960 11.26 —
1970 16.83 +49.5%
1980 11.86 -29.5%
1985 13.85 +16.8%
1991 11.64 -16.0%
1997 17.3 +48.7%
1998 20.4 +17.9%
1999 25.7 +26.0%
2000 26.77 +4.2%
2001 27.5 +2.7%
2002 27.82 +1.2%
2003 26.74 -3.9%
2004 25.35 -5.2%
2005 25.38 +0.1%
2006 26.65 +5.0%
2007 26.13 -2.0%
2008 27.77 +6.3%
2009 25.3 -8.9%
2010 23.52 -7.0%
2011 23.48 -0.2%
2012 22.93 -2.3%
2013 23.63 +3.1%
2014 22.85 -3.3%
2015 23.78 +4.1%
2016 23.57 -0.9%
2017 24.18 +2.6%
2018 22.64 -6.4%
2019 23.2 +2.5%
2020 19.06 -17.8%
2021 20.4 +7.0%
2022 23.25 +14.0%
2023 25.02 +7.6%
2024 24.67 -1.4%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 24.67 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.84, 75% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 24.67 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.52, 68% of the median. (35 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs … gaps 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.

YearChange FromTo
1970 +49.5% 11.26 16.83
1997 +48.7% 11.64 17.3

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 11.26 11.26 11.26 1
1970s 16.83 16.83 16.83 1
1980s 12.86 11.86 13.85 2
1990s 18.76 11.64 25.7 4
2000s 26.54 25.3 27.82 10
2010s 23.38 22.64 24.18 10
2020s 22.48 19.06 25.02 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 131 San Marino 25 compare
  2. 132 Bhutan 24.97 compare
  3. 133 Czechia 24.8 compare
  4. 135 Serbia 24.32 compare
  5. 136 North Macedonia 23.82 compare
  6. 137 Liberia 23.64 compare

See the full ranking of 171 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa?
Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa was 24.67 in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 27.82 in 2002.
What is the lowest labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.26 in 1960.
How does South Africa rank for labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980?
South Africa ranks 134th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-participation-rates-for-women-ages-15-24-2020-vs-1980-gaps-filled/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-participation-rates-for-women-ages-15-24-2020-vs-1980-gaps-filled/south-africa/">Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 with 625 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980, gaps filled
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
171 places, 4,754 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 with 625 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.