Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown in South Africa

South Africa: Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown was 33.8% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
33.8%
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
24th
of 27 countries
All-time high
33.8%
in 2018
All-time low
30.0%
in 2012
Years of data
11
2008–2018

Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown in South Africa, 2008–2018

01020302008201320182008: 32.42009: 30.52010: 31.52011: 30.72012: 302013: 30.12014: 30.12015: 332016: 32.82017: 32.92018: 33.8

Source: UN Open Data Hub. Available at: https://unstats-undesa.opendata.arcgis.com/.

Analysis

The most recent figure for informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown in South Africa is 33.8%, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown in South Africa peaked at 33.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 30.0%, in 2012.

That places South Africa 24th out of 27 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown - Male in South Africa, 2008 to 2018.
Year Value Change
2008 32.4%
2009 30.5% -5.9%
2010 31.5% +3.3%
2011 30.7% -2.7%
2012 30.0% -2.0%
2013 30.1% +0.3%
2014 30.1% -0.2%
2015 33.0% +9.9%
2016 32.8% -0.6%
2017 32.9% +0.2%
2018 33.8% +2.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 31.5% 30.5% 32.4% 2
2010s 31.7% 30.0% 33.8% 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Argentina 47.1% compare
  2. 22 Brazil 46.8% compare
  3. 23 Costa Rica 34.8% compare
  4. 25 Bosnia and Herzegovina 30.9% compare
  5. 26 Uruguay 25.1% compare
  6. 27 Serbia 19.1% compare

See the full ranking of 27 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown in South Africa?
Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown in South Africa was 33.8% in 2018, according to UN Open Data Hub. Available at: https://unstats-undesa.opendata.arcgis.com/.
What is the highest informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 33.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 30.0% in 2012.
How does South Africa rank for informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 27 countries with data for 2018.
Is informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - no breakdown rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UN Open Data Hub. Available at: https://unstats-undesa.opendata.arcgis.com/, published as part of Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown - Male. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UN Open Data Hub. Available at: https://unstats-undesa.opendata.arcgis.com/. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/informal-employment-by-sector-and-gender-percent-of-total-no-breakdown-male/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Informal employment by sector and gender (% of total) - No breakdown - Male
Source
UN Open Data Hub. Available at: https://unstats-undesa.opendata.arcgis.com/
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
27 places, 272 data points, 2000–2019
Last refreshed

This indicator presents the share of employment that had no-breakdown as either non-agricultural or agricultural (male), which is classified as informal employment in the total economy. Data is taken from the United Nations Sustainable Goals, representing Indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex.