Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa

South Africa: Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 was 0.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.2%
Change on year
down 9.6%
World rank
49th
of 82 countries
All-time high
0.3%
in 2001
All-time low
0.2%
in 2020
Years of data
19
1995–2020

Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.10.20.31995200720201995: 0.189 % of employed population with high education in working age2000: 0.331 % of employed population with high education in working age2001: 0.34 % of employed population with high education in working age2003: 0.28 % of employed population with high education in working age2004: 0.305 % of employed population with high education in working age2006: 0.267 % of employed population with high education in working age2007: 0.224 % of employed population with high education in working age2008: 0.227 % of employed population with high education in working age2009: 0.205 % of employed population with high education in working age2010: 0.192 % of employed population with high education in working age2011: 0.192 % of employed population with high education in working age2013: 0.186 % of employed population with high education in working age2014: 0.183 % of employed population with high education in working age2015: 0.185 % of employed population with high education in working age2016: 0.187 % of employed population with high education in working age2017: 0.183 % of employed population with high education in working age2018: 0.176 % of employed population with high education in working age2019: 0.178 % of employed population with high education in working age2020: 0.161 % of employed population with high education in working age

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of employed population with high education in working age.

Analysis

In 2020, excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa stood at 0.2%. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.6% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa peaked at 0.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2020.

South Africa ranks 49th of 82 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64, above primary education (% of employed population with high education in working age) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of employed population with high education in working age Change
1995 0.2%
2000 0.3% +75.0%
2001 0.3% +2.9%
2003 0.3% -17.7%
2004 0.3% +8.9%
2006 0.3% -12.4%
2007 0.2% -16.1%
2008 0.2% +1.3%
2009 0.2% -9.6%
2010 0.2% -6.3%
2011 0.2% -0.0%
2013 0.2% -3.1%
2014 0.2% -1.6%
2015 0.2% +1.0%
2016 0.2% +1.0%
2017 0.2% -2.5%
2018 0.2% -3.4%
2019 0.2% +0.8%
2020 0.2% -9.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
2000s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 8
2010s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 9
2020s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 46 Portugal 0.2% compare
  2. 47 Jamaica 0.2% compare
  3. 48 Czechia 0.2% compare
  4. 50 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 0.2% compare
  5. 51 United States of America 0.1% compare
  6. 52 Chile 0.1% 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 excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa?
Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa was 0.2% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2001.
What is the lowest excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64?
South Africa ranks 49th out of 82 countries with data for 2020.
Is excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. 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 Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64, above primary education (% of employed population with high education in working age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64 in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/excessive-working-hours-more-than-48-hours-per-week-aged-15-64-above-primary-education/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Excessive working hours, more than 48 hours per week, aged 15-64, above primary education (% of employed population with high education in working age)
Unit
% of employed population with high education in working age
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
82 places, 1,081 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed