Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Africa

South Africa: Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 41.14 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
41.14
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
41st
of 56 countries
All-time high
66.1
in 2000
All-time low
35.5
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Africa, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 66.12001: 642002: 60.12003: 59.72004: 60.62005: 622006: 63.72007: 61.52008: 41.32009: 39.12010: 40.42011: 39.42012: 36.42013: 37.52014: 37.52015: 39.52016: 39.62017: 39.22018: 39.62019: 39.32020: 35.52021: 38.22022: 412023: 39.82024: 41.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 41.14 for youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Africa peaked at 66.1 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 35.5, in 2020.

That places South Africa 41st out of 56 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29) in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 66.1
2001 64 -3.2%
2002 60.07 -6.1%
2003 59.73 -0.6%
2004 60.57 +1.4%
2005 62.03 +2.4%
2006 63.65 +2.6%
2007 61.52 -3.3%
2008 41.3 -32.9%
2009 39.14 -5.2%
2010 40.45 +3.3%
2011 39.38 -2.6%
2012 36.42 -7.5%
2013 37.53 +3.0%
2014 37.48 -0.1%
2015 39.54 +5.5%
2016 39.65 +0.3%
2017 39.25 -1.0%
2018 39.6 +0.9%
2019 39.31 -0.7%
2020 35.5 -9.7%
2021 38.18 +7.5%
2022 41.04 +7.5%
2023 39.78 -3.1%
2024 41.14 +3.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 57.81 39.14 66.1 10
2010s 38.86 36.42 40.45 10
2020s 39.13 35.5 41.14 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 38 Guyana 47.87 compare
  2. 39 Grenada 45.84 compare
  3. 40 Jamaica 44.48 compare
  4. 42 Brazil 37.94 compare
  5. 43 Georgia 35.16 compare
  6. 44 Mongolia 31.94 compare

See the full ranking of 56 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Africa?
Youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Africa was 41.14 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 66.1 in 2000.
What is the lowest youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 35.5 in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
South Africa ranks 41st out of 56 countries with data for 2024.
Is youth informal employment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. 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 Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/youth-informal-employment-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13-15-29/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth informal employment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
56 places, 743 data points, 1999–2026
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. This harmonized series for informal employment is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.