Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa
South Africa: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 80.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa is 80.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa peaked at 80.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 30.5%, in 1960.
South Africa ranks 91st of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 30.5% | — |
| 1970 | 47.3% | +55.1% |
| 1980 | 49.4% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 55.7% | +12.9% |
| 1991 | 64.8% | +16.3% |
| 1994 | 66.6% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 69.2% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 64.4% | -6.9% |
| 1998 | 66.6% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 76.1% | +14.2% |
| 2000 | 71.3% | -6.2% |
| 2001 | 70.5% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 69.0% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 68.5% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 67.0% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 68.9% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 70.1% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 69.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 74.4% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 74.2% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 73.7% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 75.2% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 74.9% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 76.3% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 76.4% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 76.8% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 76.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 77.4% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 77.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 77.6% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 76.7% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 76.7% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 78.0% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 79.8% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 80.6% | +1.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 80.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70.1%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 80.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.0%, 96% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +55.1% | 30.5% | 47.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.5% | 30.5% | 30.5% | 1 |
| 1970s | 47.3% | 47.3% | 47.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 52.5% | 49.4% | 55.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 68.0% | 64.4% | 76.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 70.4% | 67.0% | 74.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.2% | 73.7% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 76.7% | 80.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 88 Malawi 81.1% compare
- 89 Hungary 81.0% compare
- 90 Montenegro 80.8% compare
- 92 Puerto Rico 80.6% compare
- 93 Russian Federation 80.0% compare
- 94 Bulgaria 80.0% compare
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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in South Africa was 80.6% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 80.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.5% in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- South Africa ranks 91st out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. 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 Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.