Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa

South Africa: Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities was 11.77 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
11.77
Change on year
down 9.3%
World rank
31st
of 44 countries
All-time high
19.18
in 2009
All-time low
11.77
in 2024
Years of data
16
2008–2024

Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa, 2008–2024

051015202008201620242008: 19.12009: 19.22010: 18.82011: 18.32013: 16.92014: 16.82015: 15.72016: 15.82017: 15.42018: 14.62019: 14.52020: 12.62021: 13.62022: 13.32023: 132024: 11.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 11.77 for share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.3% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa peaked at 19.18 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 11.77, in 2024.

South Africa ranks 31st of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa, 2008 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2008 19.11
2009 19.18 +0.4%
2010 18.79 -2.1%
2011 18.3 -2.6%
2013 16.92 -7.5%
2014 16.76 -1.0%
2015 15.72 -6.2%
2016 15.81 +0.6%
2017 15.44 -2.4%
2018 14.59 -5.5%
2019 14.51 -0.5%
2020 12.64 -12.9%
2021 13.57 +7.4%
2022 13.29 -2.1%
2023 12.98 -2.4%
2024 11.77 -9.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 19.15 19.11 19.18 2
2010s 16.31 14.51 18.79 9
2020s 12.85 11.77 13.57 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 28 Chile 20.02 compare
  2. 29 Australia 17.29 compare
  3. 30 United States of America 13.4 compare
  4. 32 Ireland 11.57 compare
  5. 33 Nigeria 11.26 compare
  6. 34 Albania 8.23 compare

See the full ranking of 44 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa?
Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa was 11.77 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 19.18 in 2009.
What is the lowest share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.77 in 2024.
How does South Africa rank for share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities?
South Africa ranks 31st out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. 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 Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-persons-outside-the-labour-force-due-to-care-responsibilities/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of persons outside the labour force due to care responsibilities
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
44 places, 570 data points, 1994–2026
Last refreshed

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. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). For more information, refer to the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) database description.