SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa

South Africa: SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in was 34.61 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
34.61
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
6th
of 123 countries
All-time high
36.58
in 2003
All-time low
30.5
in 2015
Years of data
21
2000–2024

SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa, 2000–2024

0102030402000201220242000: 31.82001: 34.72002: 35.72003: 36.62004: 35.42005: 34.42006: 33.42007: 32.62011: 35.92013: 322014: 31.32015: 30.52016: 31.22017: 312018: 31.62019: 32.52020: 32.42021: 32.92022: 35.22023: 342024: 34.6

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa is 34.61, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa peaked at 36.58 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 30.5, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 6th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in education, employment or training in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 31.79
2001 34.65 +9.0%
2002 35.7 +3.0%
2003 36.58 +2.5%
2004 35.39 -3.2%
2005 34.42 -2.7%
2006 33.38 -3.0%
2007 32.63 -2.2%
2011 35.91 +10.1%
2013 31.97 -11.0%
2014 31.31 -2.0%
2015 30.5 -2.6%
2016 31.22 +2.4%
2017 31.01 -0.7%
2018 31.56 +1.8%
2019 32.46 +2.8%
2020 32.4 -0.2%
2021 32.94 +1.7%
2022 35.19 +6.8%
2023 33.98 -3.4%
2024 34.61 +1.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 34.61 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.09, 1.8× the median. (39 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 34.61 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.91, 1.4× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 34.32 31.79 36.58 8
2010s 31.99 30.5 35.91 8
2020s 33.82 32.4 35.19 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 3 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 37.13 compare
  2. 4 Zimbabwe 35.99 compare
  3. 5 Senegal 35.17 compare
  4. 7 Namibia 31.88 compare
  5. 8 Guyana 31.31 compare
  6. 9 Mali 30.12 compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa?
Sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa was 34.61 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 36.58 in 2003.
What is the lowest sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 30.5 in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in?
South Africa ranks 6th out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
Is sdg indicator 8.6.1: proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. 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 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in education, employment or training. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/sdg-indicator-8-6-1-proportion-of-youth-aged-15-to-24-years-not-in-education-employment/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/sdg-indicator-8-6-1-proportion-of-youth-aged-15-to-24-years-not-in-education-employment/south-africa/">SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
SDG indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 years not in education, employment or training
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
210 places, 4,103 data points, 2000–2027
Last refreshed

Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. The share of youth not in employment, education, or training (also known as the NEET rate) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. It provides a measure of youth who are outside the educational system, not in training and not in employment, and thus serves as a broader measure of potential youth labour market entrants than youth unemployment, since it also includes young persons outside the labour force not in education or training. This indicator is also a better measure of the current universe of potential youth labour market entrants compared to the youth inactivity rate, as the latter includes those youth who are not in the labour force and are in education, and thus cannot be considered currently available for work. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.