Share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa
South Africa: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 30.68 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa is 30.68, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa peaked at 30.79 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 17.69, in 2007.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 81 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.
Share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 25.74 | — |
| 2001 | 25.29 | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 19.25 | -23.9% |
| 2003 | 18.59 | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 18.38 | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 19.77 | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 19.5 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 17.69 | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 30.79 | +74.1% |
| 2009 | 29.28 | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 29.78 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 28.51 | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 28.11 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 28.17 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 27.7 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 29.53 | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 29.21 | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 29.66 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 30.16 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 30.06 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 27.26 | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 27.97 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 29.62 | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 29.46 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 30.68 | +4.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 30.68 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 46.77, 66% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 30.68 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 77.06, 40% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of employment outside the formal sector 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 | +74.1% | 17.69 | 30.79 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.43 | 17.69 | 30.79 | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.09 | 27.7 | 30.16 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29 | 27.26 | 30.68 | 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 share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa?
- Share of employment outside the formal sector in South Africa was 30.68 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 30.79 in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.69 in 2007.
- How does South Africa rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. 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 Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.