Total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa

South Africa: Total weekly hours worked of employed persons was 758,858 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
758,858
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
31st
of 188 countries
All-time high
758,858
in 2027
All-time low
624,764
in 2010
Years of data
23
2005–2027

Total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa, 2005–2027

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2005201620272005: 677.1k2006: 686.5k2007: 697.2k2008: 680.7k2009: 648.9k2010: 624.8k2011: 639.6k2012: 646.2k2013: 663.6k2014: 675.6k2015: 708.5k2016: 702.8k2017: 706.1k2018: 718.0k2019: 724.8k2020: 629.6k2021: 641.2k2022: 688.5k2023: 731.4k2024: 746.3k2025: 742.1k2026: 750.8k2027: 758.9k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 758,858 for total weekly hours worked of employed persons in 2027. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa peaked at 758,858 in 2027 and was at its lowest, 624,764, in 2010.

That places South Africa 31st out of 188 countries with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Total weekly hours worked of employed persons (ILO modelled estimates) in South Africa, 2005 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2005 677,094
2006 686,453 +1.4%
2007 697,173 +1.6%
2008 680,736 -2.4%
2009 648,880 -4.7%
2010 624,764 -3.7%
2011 639,619 +2.4%
2012 646,221 +1.0%
2013 663,628 +2.7%
2014 675,560 +1.8%
2015 708,542 +4.9%
2016 702,757 -0.8%
2017 706,102 +0.5%
2018 717,992 +1.7%
2019 724,845 +1.0%
2020 629,608 -13.1%
2021 641,209 +1.8%
2022 688,479 +7.4%
2023 731,427 +6.2%
2024 746,334 +2.0%
2025 742,087 -0.6%
2026 750,779 +1.2%
2027 758,858 +1.1%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 758,858 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 136,768, 5.5× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 758,858 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 214,500, 3.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 678,067 648,880 697,173 5
2010s 681,003 624,764 724,845 10
2020s 711,098 629,608 758,858 8

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 28 France 904,408 compare
  2. 29 Malaysia 829,630 compare
  3. 30 Italy 806,778 compare
  4. 32 Argentina 749,267 compare
  5. 33 Ukraine 724,202 compare
  6. 34 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 717,813 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa?
Total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa was 758,858 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest total weekly hours worked of employed persons recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 758,858 in 2027.
What is the lowest total weekly hours worked of employed persons recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 624,764 in 2010.
How does South Africa rank for total weekly hours worked of employed persons?
South Africa ranks 31st out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
Is total weekly hours worked of employed persons rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. 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 Total weekly hours worked of employed persons (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total weekly hours worked of employed persons in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/total-weekly-hours-worked-of-employed-persons-ilo-modelled-estimates/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Total weekly hours worked of employed persons (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
276 places, 6,324 data points, 2005–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings.This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator refers to total weekly hours actually worked of employed persons in their main job. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.