Statizoid

Labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa

South Africa: Labor force participation rate by sex and age was 1.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.0%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 217 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 2010
All-time low
0.0%
in 2004
Years of data
20
2004–2023

Labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa, 2004–2023

00.20.40.60.812004201320232004: 0 %2005: 0 %2006: 0 %2007: 0 %2008: 0 %2009: 0 %2010: 1 %2011: 1 %2012: 1 %2013: 1 %2014: 1 %2015: 1 %2016: 1 %2017: 1 %2018: 1 %2019: 1 %2020: 1 %2021: 1 %2022: 1 %2023: 1 %

Source: Statistical Performance Indicators, The World Bank (https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/statistical-performance-indicators). Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 1.0% for labor force participation rate by sex and age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa peaked at 1.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2004.

South Africa ranks 1st of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa, year by year

Year % Change
2004 0.0% —
2005 0.0% —
2006 0.0% —
2007 0.0% —
2008 0.0% —
2009 0.0% —
2010 1.0% —
2011 1.0% +0.0%
2012 1.0% +0.0%
2013 1.0% +0.0%
2014 1.0% +0.0%
2015 1.0% +0.0%
2016 1.0% +0.0%
2017 1.0% +0.0%
2018 1.0% +0.0%
2019 1.0% +0.0%
2020 1.0% +0.0%
2021 1.0% +0.0%
2022 1.0% +0.0%
2023 1.0% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6
2010s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 10
2020s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Afghanistan 1.0% compare
  2. 1 Albania 1.0% compare
  3. 1 Algeria 1.0% compare
  4. 1 Angola 1.0% compare
  5. 1 Argentina 1.0% compare
  6. 1 Armenia 1.0% compare
  7. 1 Australia 1.0% compare
  8. 1 Austria 1.0% compare
  9. 1 Azerbaijan 1.0% compare
  10. 1 Bangladesh 1.0% compare
  11. 1 Barbados 1.0% compare
  12. 1 Belarus 1.0% compare
  13. 1 Belgium 1.0% compare
  14. 1 Belize 1.0% compare
  15. 1 Bhutan 1.0% compare
  16. 1 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 1.0% compare
  17. 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.0% compare
  18. 1 Brunei Darussalam 1.0% compare
  19. 1 Bulgaria 1.0% compare
  20. 1 Burkina Faso 1.0% compare
  21. 1 Cape Verde 1.0% compare
  22. 1 Cambodia 1.0% compare
  23. 1 Canada 1.0% compare
  24. 1 Chile 1.0% compare
  25. 1 Colombia 1.0% compare
  26. 1 Costa Rica 1.0% compare
  27. 1 Côte d'Ivoire 1.0% compare
  28. 1 Croatia 1.0% compare
  29. 1 Curacao 1.0% compare
  30. 1 Cyprus 1.0% compare
  31. 1 Czechia 1.0% compare
  32. 1 Denmark 1.0% compare
  33. 1 Dominican Republic 1.0% compare
  34. 1 Ecuador 1.0% compare
  35. 1 Egypt 1.0% compare
  36. 1 Estonia 1.0% compare
  37. 1 Eswatini 1.0% compare
  38. 1 Ethiopia 1.0% compare
  39. 1 Finland 1.0% compare
  40. 1 France 1.0% compare
  41. 1 Gambia 1.0% compare
  42. 1 Georgia 1.0% compare
  43. 1 Germany 1.0% compare
  44. 1 Greece 1.0% compare
  45. 1 Grenada 1.0% compare
  46. 1 Guatemala 1.0% compare
  47. 1 Guinea 1.0% compare
  48. 1 Guyana 1.0% compare
  49. 1 Hong Kong 1.0% compare
  50. 1 Hungary 1.0% compare
  51. 1 Iceland 1.0% compare
  52. 1 India 1.0% compare
  53. 1 Indonesia 1.0% compare
  54. 1 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.0% compare
  55. 1 Iraq 1.0% compare
  56. 1 Ireland 1.0% compare
  57. 1 Israel 1.0% compare
  58. 1 Italy 1.0% compare
  59. 1 Jamaica 1.0% compare
  60. 1 Japan 1.0% compare
  61. 1 Jordan 1.0% compare
  62. 1 Kazakhstan 1.0% compare
  63. 1 Republic of Korea 1.0% compare
  64. 1 Kyrgyzstan 1.0% compare
  65. 1 Lao People's Democratic Republic 1.0% compare
  66. 1 Latvia 1.0% compare
  67. 1 Lebanon 1.0% compare
  68. 1 Lesotho 1.0% compare
  69. 1 Liberia 1.0% compare
  70. 1 Lithuania 1.0% compare
  71. 1 Luxembourg 1.0% compare
  72. 1 Malaysia 1.0% compare
  73. 1 Mali 1.0% compare
  74. 1 Malta 1.0% compare
  75. 1 Mauritania 1.0% compare
  76. 1 Mauritius 1.0% compare
  77. 1 Mexico 1.0% compare
  78. 1 Republic of Moldova 1.0% compare
  79. 1 Mongolia 1.0% compare
  80. 1 Montenegro 1.0% compare
  81. 1 Morocco 1.0% compare
  82. 1 Myanmar 1.0% compare
  83. 1 Namibia 1.0% compare
  84. 1 Nepal 1.0% compare
  85. 1 Netherlands 1.0% compare
  86. 1 New Caledonia 1.0% compare
  87. 1 New Zealand 1.0% compare
  88. 1 Niger 1.0% compare
  89. 1 North Macedonia 1.0% compare
  90. 1 Norway 1.0% compare
  91. 1 Pakistan 1.0% compare
  92. 1 Panama 1.0% compare
  93. 1 Peru 1.0% compare
  94. 1 Philippines 1.0% compare
  95. 1 Poland 1.0% compare
  96. 1 Portugal 1.0% compare
  97. 1 Qatar 1.0% compare
  98. 1 Romania 1.0% compare
  99. 1 Russian Federation 1.0% compare
  100. 1 Rwanda 1.0% compare
  101. 1 Samoa 1.0% compare
  102. 1 Saudi Arabia 1.0% compare
  103. 1 Senegal 1.0% compare
  104. 1 Serbia 1.0% compare
  105. 1 Seychelles 1.0% compare
  106. 1 Singapore 1.0% compare
  107. 1 Slovakia 1.0% compare
  108. 1 Slovenia 1.0% compare
  109. 1 Somalia 1.0% compare
  110. 1 Spain 1.0% compare
  111. 1 Sri Lanka 1.0% compare
  112. 1 Saint Lucia 1.0% compare
  113. 1 Sweden 1.0% compare
  114. 1 Switzerland 1.0% compare
  115. 1 Tanzania, United Republic of 1.0% compare
  116. 1 Thailand 1.0% compare
  117. 1 Timor-Leste 1.0% compare
  118. 1 Tonga 1.0% compare
  119. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1.0% compare
  120. 1 Tunisia 1.0% compare
  121. 1 Türkiye 1.0% compare
  122. 1 Uganda 1.0% compare
  123. 1 Ukraine 1.0% compare
  124. 1 United Arab Emirates 1.0% compare
  125. 1 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.0% compare
  126. 1 United States of America 1.0% compare
  127. 1 Uruguay 1.0% compare
  128. 1 Uzbekistan 1.0% compare
  129. 1 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.0% compare
  130. 1 Viet Nam 1.0% compare
  131. 1 Palestine, State of 1.0% compare
  132. 1 Zambia 1.0% compare
  133. 1 Zimbabwe 1.0% compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa?
Labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa was 1.0% in 2023, according to Statistical Performance Indicators, The World Bank (https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/statistical-performance-indicators).
What is the highest labor force participation rate by sex and age recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 2010.
What is the lowest labor force participation rate by sex and age recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2004.
How does South Africa rank for labor force participation rate by sex and age?
South Africa ranks 1st out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
Is labor force participation rate by sex and age rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Statistical Performance Indicators, The World Bank (https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/statistical-performance-indicators), published as part of Labor force participation rate by sex and age (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statistical Performance Indicators, The World Bank (https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/statistical-performance-indicators). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-participation-rate-by-sex-and-age-percent/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-participation-rate-by-sex-and-age-percent/south-africa/">Labor force participation rate by sex and age in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Labor force participation rate by sex and age (%)
Unit
%
Source
Statistical Performance Indicators, The World Bank (https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/statistical-performance-indicators)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 4,380 data points, 2004–2023
Last refreshed

Labor force participation data for use by ILO