Proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa
South Africa: Proportion of labor force who are women was 46.57 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
46.57
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
75th
of 186 countries
All-time high
46.57
in 2025
All-time low
37.77
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa stood at 46.57. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa peaked at 46.57 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37.77, in 1990.
South Africa ranks 75th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 37.77 | — |
| 1991 | 37.88 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 38.34 | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 37.86 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 38.37 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 40.28 | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 41.86 | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 43.03 | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 43.33 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 43.67 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 44.06 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 44.45 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 44.8 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 45.09 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 45.33 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 45.51 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 45.64 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 45.76 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 45.83 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 45.65 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 45.4 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 45.8 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 45.6 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 45.96 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 45.86 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 45.76 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 45.7 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 46.12 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 46.07 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 45.95 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 45.56 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 45.45 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 45.78 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 46.27 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 46.49 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 46.57 | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 46.57 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 42.44, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 46.57 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.51, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.24 | 37.77 | 43.67 | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.21 | 44.06 | 45.83 | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.82 | 45.4 | 46.12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.02 | 45.45 | 46.57 | 6 |
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 proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa?
- Proportion of labor force who are women in South Africa was 46.57 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 46.57 in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.77 in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for proportion of labor force who are women?
- South Africa ranks 75th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of labor force who are women rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Proportion of labor force who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).