Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa

South Africa: Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.4%
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
107th
of 108 countries
All-time high
0.5%
in 2008
All-time low
0.4%
in 2020
Years of data
21
1995–2020

Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.61995200720201995: 0.535 % of male population in working age2000: 0.502 % of male population in working age2001: 0.49 % of male population in working age2002: 0.475 % of male population in working age2003: 0.459 % of male population in working age2004: 0.472 % of male population in working age2006: 0.506 % of male population in working age2007: 0.515 % of male population in working age2008: 0.539 % of male population in working age2009: 0.508 % of male population in working age2010: 0.487 % of male population in working age2011: 0.485 % of male population in working age2012: 0.487 % of male population in working age2013: 0.487 % of male population in working age2014: 0.489 % of male population in working age2015: 0.499 % of male population in working age2016: 0.492 % of male population in working age2017: 0.491 % of male population in working age2018: 0.49 % of male population in working age2019: 0.48 % of male population in working age2020: 0.437 % of male population in working age

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of male population in working age.

Analysis

In 2020, employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa stood at 0.4%. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of down 9.0% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa peaked at 0.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2020.

South Africa ranks 107th of 108 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male (% of male population in working age) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of male population in working age Change
1995 0.5%
2000 0.5% -6.2%
2001 0.5% -2.4%
2002 0.5% -3.2%
2003 0.5% -3.4%
2004 0.5% +2.9%
2006 0.5% +7.2%
2007 0.5% +1.8%
2008 0.5% +4.6%
2009 0.5% -5.6%
2010 0.5% -4.1%
2011 0.5% -0.4%
2012 0.5% +0.4%
2013 0.5% +0.0%
2014 0.5% +0.3%
2015 0.5% +2.1%
2016 0.5% -1.3%
2017 0.5% -0.1%
2018 0.5% -0.3%
2019 0.5% -2.0%
2020 0.4% -9.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 59% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 56% of the median. (19 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
2000s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 9
2010s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 10
2020s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 104 Gambia 0.5% compare
  2. 105 Rwanda 0.5% compare
  3. 106 Jordan 0.5% compare
  4. 108 Djibouti 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 108 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa?
Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa was 0.4% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
What is the lowest employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male?
South Africa ranks 107th out of 108 countries with data for 2020.
Is employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male (% of male population in working age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/employment-to-population-ratio-aged-15-64-male-percent-of-male-population-in-working-age/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment to population ratio, aged 15-64, male (% of male population in working age)
Unit
% of male population in working age
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
108 places, 1,528 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed