Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Africa
South Africa: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 30.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Africa, 1997–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 30.4% for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in 2024.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Africa peaked at 36.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 2008.
South Africa ranks 2nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 36.1% | — |
| 1998 | 21.3% | -41.0% |
| 1999 | 21.1% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | +20.2% |
| 2001 | 26.3% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 27.1% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 24.4% | -9.9% |
| 2005 | 23.6% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 22.6% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 19.7% | -8.5% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | +11.2% |
| 2010 | 22.8% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 22.6% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 22.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 23.0% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 23.1% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 23.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 24.5% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 25.2% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 25.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 26.8% | +6.6% |
| 2020 | 27.7% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | +15.8% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 30.0% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 30.4% | +1.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 30.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.4%, 5.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 30.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.4%, 6.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -41.0% | 36.1% | 21.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.2% | 21.1% | 36.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 24.0% | 19.7% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.9% | 22.6% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 27.7% | 32.1% | 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 unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Africa?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Africa was 30.4% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- South Africa ranks 2nd out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.