LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa

South Africa: LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization was 13,113 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
13,113
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
3rd
of 79 countries
All-time high
13,113
in 2024
All-time low
6,975
in 2008
Years of data
17
2008–2024

LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa, 2008–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k2008201620242008: 7.0k2009: 7.6k2010: 8.2k2011: 8.4k2012: 8.7k2013: 8.9k2014: 9.0k2015: 9.2k2016: 9.8k2017: 10.1k2018: 10.5k2019: 11.1k2020: 12.0k2021: 13.1k2022: 13.0k2023: 12.7k2024: 13.1k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa stood at 13,113. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.

The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 45.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa peaked at 13,113 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6,975, in 2008.

That places South Africa 3rd out of 79 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa, 2008 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2008 6,975
2009 7,629 +9.4%
2010 8,245 +8.1%
2011 8,423 +2.1%
2012 8,683 +3.1%
2013 8,852 +2.0%
2014 8,990 +1.6%
2015 9,244 +2.8%
2016 9,784 +5.8%
2017 10,132 +3.6%
2018 10,525 +3.9%
2019 11,112 +5.6%
2020 11,962 +7.7%
2021 13,097 +9.5%
2022 12,995 -0.8%
2023 12,657 -2.6%
2024 13,113 +3.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7,302 6,975 7,629 2
2010s 9,399 8,245 11,112 10
2020s 12,765 11,962 13,113 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Indonesia 19,007 compare
  2. 2 Brazil 16,257 compare
  3. 4 United States of America 10,340 compare
  4. 5 France 5,848 compare
  5. 6 Bangladesh 5,697 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa?
Lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa was 13,113 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 13,113 in 2024.
What is the lowest lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 6,975 in 2008.
How does South Africa rank for lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization?
South Africa ranks 3rd out of 79 countries with data for 2024.
Is lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.9%. 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 LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu4-composite-measure-of-labour-underutilization/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 ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu4-composite-measure-of-labour-underutilization/south-africa/">LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
166 places, 3,284 data points, 1991–2027
Last refreshed

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. LU4 represents the share of the extended labour force that are in unemployment, time-related underemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.