SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa
South Africa: SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total was 34.81 in 2024. ▼ Falling
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2024, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa stood at 34.81.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa peaked at 54.1 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.35, in 2020.
That places South Africa 44th out of 83 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 54.1 | — |
| 2001 | 52.14 | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 47.26 | -9.4% |
| 2003 | 46.6 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 46.24 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 48.23 | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 49.1 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 48.86 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 35.37 | -27.6% |
| 2009 | 33.66 | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 34.03 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 32.68 | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 31.75 | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 32.24 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 32.11 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 34.3 | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 33.86 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 34.24 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 34.8 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 34.56 | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 31.35 | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 32.38 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 34.5 | +6.5% |
| 2023 | 34.01 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 34.81 | +2.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 34.81 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 55.37, 63% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 34.81 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85, 41% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -27.6% | 48.86 | 35.37 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.16 | 33.66 | 54.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.46 | 31.75 | 34.8 | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.41 | 31.35 | 34.81 | 5 |
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 sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa?
- Sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total in South Africa was 34.81 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 54.1 in 2000.
- What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.35 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total?
- South Africa ranks 44th out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sdg indicator 8.3.1: proportion of informal employment in total rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of SDG indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. This indicator conveys the share of informal employment in total employment. Employment comprises all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were either in paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work) or in self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Informal employment comprises persons who in their main or secondary jobs were (a) own-account workers, employers and members of producers' cooperatives employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (b) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household (e.g. subsistence farming); (c) contributing family workers, regardless of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; or (d) employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.