Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa

South Africa: Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female was 40.06 in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
40.06
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
16th
of 82 countries
All-time high
43.85
in 2001
All-time low
40.06
in 2020
Years of data
20
1995–2020

Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, 1995–2020

0102030401995200720201995: 41.42000: 41.22001: 43.92003: 42.22004: 43.42006: 41.42007: 41.12008: 42.72009: 42.12010: 422011: 42.22012: 41.72013: 41.62014: 41.42015: 41.12016: 412017: 41.12018: 40.92019: 40.82020: 40.1

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 40.06 for average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa peaked at 43.85 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 40.06, in 2020.

South Africa ranks 16th of 82 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1995 41.44 —
2000 41.19 -0.6%
2001 43.85 +6.5%
2003 42.16 -3.9%
2004 43.43 +3.0%
2006 41.44 -4.6%
2007 41.11 -0.8%
2008 42.71 +3.9%
2009 42.13 -1.4%
2010 41.98 -0.4%
2011 42.17 +0.5%
2012 41.67 -1.2%
2013 41.55 -0.3%
2014 41.44 -0.3%
2015 41.15 -0.7%
2016 40.98 -0.4%
2017 41.08 +0.2%
2018 40.89 -0.5%
2019 40.78 -0.3%
2020 40.06 -1.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 40.06 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.89, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 40.06 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.56, 1.0× the median. (8 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 41.44 41.44 41.44 1
2000s 42.25 41.11 43.85 8
2010s 41.37 40.78 42.17 10
2020s 40.06 40.06 40.06 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 13 Colombia 40.65 compare
  2. 14 Bulgaria 40.41 compare
  3. 15 Bolivia 40.09 compare
  4. 17 Chile 40.04 compare
  5. 18 Slovakia 40.03 compare
  6. 19 Tunisia 40 compare

See the full ranking of 82 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa?
Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa was 40.06 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 43.85 in 2001.
What is the lowest average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 40.06 in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female?
South Africa ranks 16th out of 82 countries with data for 2020.
Is average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/average-weekly-working-hours-aged-15-64-female/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, female
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
82 places, 1,165 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed