Unemployment rate for young people in South Africa
South Africa: Unemployment rate for young people was 59.93 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
59.93
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
2nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
65.45
in 2021
All-time low
42.09
in 1997
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in South Africa, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 59.93 for unemployment rate for young people in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in South Africa peaked at 65.45 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 42.09, in 1997.
That places South Africa 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 43.49 | — |
| 1992 | 44.06 | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 44.32 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 43.89 | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 42.81 | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 42.14 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 42.09 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 42.64 | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 43.11 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 43.19 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 43.21 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 43.35 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 43.8 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 43.86 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 43.93 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 43.87 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 44.04 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 44.58 | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 47.47 | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 50.45 | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 49.74 | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 51.32 | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 51.2 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 51.19 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 50.12 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 53.45 | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 53.4 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 53.63 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 57.32 | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 59.61 | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 65.45 | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 61.68 | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 60.26 | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 60.25 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 59.93 | -0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 59.93 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.79, 3.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 59.93 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.79, 6.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.17 | 42.09 | 44.32 | 9 |
| 2000s | 44.13 | 43.19 | 47.47 | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.18 | 49.74 | 57.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.2 | 59.61 | 65.45 | 6 |
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 rate for young people in South Africa?
- Unemployment rate for young people in South Africa was 59.93 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.45 in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.09 in 1997.
- How does South Africa rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- South Africa ranks 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).