Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa

South Africa: Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female was 0.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.3%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
9th
of 108 countries
All-time high
0.5%
in 2002
All-time low
0.3%
in 2009
Years of data
21
1995–2020

Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.61995200720201995: 0.353 % of female labor force in working age2000: 0.292 % of female labor force in working age2001: 0.286 % of female labor force in working age2002: 0.509 % of female labor force in working age2003: 0.315 % of female labor force in working age2004: 0.321 % of female labor force in working age2006: 0.45 % of female labor force in working age2007: 0.424 % of female labor force in working age2008: 0.259 % of female labor force in working age2009: 0.257 % of female labor force in working age2010: 0.272 % of female labor force in working age2011: 0.273 % of female labor force in working age2012: 0.272 % of female labor force in working age2013: 0.267 % of female labor force in working age2014: 0.272 % of female labor force in working age2015: 0.277 % of female labor force in working age2016: 0.291 % of female labor force in working age2017: 0.296 % of female labor force in working age2018: 0.293 % of female labor force in working age2019: 0.307 % of female labor force in working age2020: 0.312 % of female labor force in working age

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of female labor force in working age.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.3% for unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa peaked at 0.5% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2009.

South Africa ranks 9th of 108 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female (% of female labor force in working age) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of female labor force in working age Change
1995 0.4%
2000 0.3% -17.1%
2001 0.3% -2.3%
2002 0.5% +78.1%
2003 0.3% -38.0%
2004 0.3% +1.9%
2006 0.4% +40.0%
2007 0.4% -5.8%
2008 0.3% -38.9%
2009 0.3% -0.8%
2010 0.3% +5.8%
2011 0.3% +0.6%
2012 0.3% -0.7%
2013 0.3% -1.8%
2014 0.3% +2.0%
2015 0.3% +1.8%
2016 0.3% +5.1%
2017 0.3% +1.5%
2018 0.3% -1.0%
2019 0.3% +4.9%
2020 0.3% +1.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1%, 3.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0%, 7.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2002 +78.1% 0.3% 0.5%
2008 -38.9% 0.4% 0.3%
2003 -38.0% 0.5% 0.3%
2006 +40.0% 0.3% 0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
2000s 0.3% 0.3% 0.5% 9
2010s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Kazakhstan 0.4% compare
  2. 7 Gambia 0.4% compare
  3. 8 Albania 0.4% compare
  4. 10 Greece 0.3% compare
  5. 11 Spain 0.3% compare
  6. 12 Croatia 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 unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa?
Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa was 0.3% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2002.
What is the lowest unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2009.
How does South Africa rank for unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female?
South Africa ranks 9th out of 108 countries with data for 2020.
Is unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. 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 Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female (% of female labor force in working age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/unemployment-rate-aged-15-64-female-percent-of-female-labor-force-in-working-age/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate, aged 15-64, female (% of female labor force in working age)
Unit
% of female labor force 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