Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa
South Africa: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 57.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2024, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa stood at 57.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa peaked at 61.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 41.7%, in 2008.
South Africa ranks 1st of 157 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 49.1% | — |
| 2001 | 52.1% | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 54.8% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 56.8% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 50.4% | -11.3% |
| 2005 | 49.8% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 48.4% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 46.8% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 41.7% | -10.8% |
| 2009 | 45.1% | +8.1% |
| 2010 | 48.1% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 46.2% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 47.6% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 48.0% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 48.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 46.3% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 48.6% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 48.8% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 49.2% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 53.2% | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 61.0% | +10.1% |
| 2022 | 58.0% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 56.8% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 57.0% | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 57.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.6%, 4.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 57.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.6%, 6.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.5% | 41.7% | 56.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.4% | 46.2% | 53.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.6% | 55.4% | 61.0% | 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Africa was 57.0% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 61.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.7% in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.