Part time employment, female in South Africa

South Africa: Part time employment, female was 22.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
22.5%
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
67th
of 111 countries
All-time high
24.0%
in 2021
All-time low
18.7%
in 2007
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Part time employment, female in South Africa, 2000–2024

05101520252000201220242000: 23.5 % of total female employment2001: 22.5 % of total female employment2002: 19.9 % of total female employment2003: 21.1 % of total female employment2004: 20.4 % of total female employment2005: 20.9 % of total female employment2006: 20.4 % of total female employment2007: 18.7 % of total female employment2008: 22.9 % of total female employment2009: 23 % of total female employment2010: 22.4 % of total female employment2011: 21 % of total female employment2012: 21.9 % of total female employment2013: 22.5 % of total female employment2014: 21.7 % of total female employment2015: 22.4 % of total female employment2016: 23 % of total female employment2017: 22.5 % of total female employment2018: 22.5 % of total female employment2019: 22.6 % of total female employment2020: 23.6 % of total female employment2021: 24 % of total female employment2022: 23 % of total female employment2023: 22.8 % of total female employment2024: 22.5 % of total female employment

Source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total female employment.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 22.5% for part time employment, female in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, part time employment, female in South Africa peaked at 24.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 18.7%, in 2007.

That places South Africa 67th out of 111 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Part time employment, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Part time employment, female (% of total female employment) in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of total female employment Change
2000 23.5%
2001 22.5% -4.0%
2002 19.9% -11.6%
2003 21.1% +6.2%
2004 20.4% -3.3%
2005 20.9% +2.3%
2006 20.4% -2.4%
2007 18.7% -8.5%
2008 22.9% +22.7%
2009 23.0% +0.4%
2010 22.4% -2.5%
2011 21.0% -6.2%
2012 21.9% +4.3%
2013 22.5% +2.7%
2014 21.7% -3.6%
2015 22.4% +3.3%
2016 23.0% +2.5%
2017 22.5% -2.0%
2018 22.5% -0.4%
2019 22.6% +0.7%
2020 23.6% +4.6%
2021 24.0% +1.4%
2022 23.0% -4.0%
2023 22.8% -0.8%
2024 22.5% -1.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 22.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 27.6%, 82% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 22.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.6%, 57% of the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 21.3% 18.7% 23.5% 10
2010s 22.3% 21.0% 23.0% 10
2020s 23.2% 22.5% 24.0% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 64 United States of America 23.2% compare
  2. 65 Botswana 23.0% compare
  3. 66 Angola 22.6% compare
  4. 68 Mexico 22.1% compare
  5. 69 New Caledonia 21.8% compare
  6. 70 Spain 21.4% compare

See the full ranking of 123 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is part time employment, female in South Africa?
Part time employment, female in South Africa was 22.5% in 2024, according to Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest part time employment, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2021.
What is the lowest part time employment, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 18.7% in 2007.
How does South Africa rank for part time employment, female?
South Africa ranks 67th out of 111 countries with data for 2024.
Is part time employment, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Part time employment, female (% of total female employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Part time employment, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/part-time-employment-female-percent-of-total-female-employment/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Part time employment, female (% of total female employment)
Unit
% of total female employment
Source
Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
123 places, 2,531 data points, 1976–2025
Last refreshed

Part-time employment rate represents the percentage of employment that is part time. Part time employment in this series is based on a common definition of less than 35 actual weekly hours worked.