Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa

South Africa: Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban was 0.4% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
0.4%
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
94th
of 97 countries
All-time high
0.6%
in 2008
All-time low
0.3%
in 2002
Years of data
19
1995–2020

Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.61995200720201995: 0.543 % of urban youth labor force2000: 0.477 % of urban youth labor force2001: 0.461 % of urban youth labor force2002: 0.344 % of urban youth labor force2003: 0.415 % of urban youth labor force2004: 0.419 % of urban youth labor force2008: 0.558 % of urban youth labor force2009: 0.531 % of urban youth labor force2010: 0.495 % of urban youth labor force2011: 0.506 % of urban youth labor force2012: 0.497 % of urban youth labor force2013: 0.485 % of urban youth labor force2014: 0.487 % of urban youth labor force2015: 0.506 % of urban youth labor force2016: 0.467 % of urban youth labor force2017: 0.479 % of urban youth labor force2018: 0.485 % of urban youth labor force2019: 0.446 % of urban youth labor force2020: 0.435 % of urban youth labor force

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of urban youth labor force.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.4% for youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa peaked at 0.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2002.

South Africa ranks 94th of 97 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban (% of urban youth labor force) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of urban youth labor force Change
1995 0.5%
2000 0.5% -12.2%
2001 0.5% -3.4%
2002 0.3% -25.3%
2003 0.4% +20.6%
2004 0.4% +0.9%
2008 0.6% +33.1%
2009 0.5% -4.8%
2010 0.5% -6.7%
2011 0.5% +2.1%
2012 0.5% -1.7%
2013 0.5% -2.5%
2014 0.5% +0.5%
2015 0.5% +3.8%
2016 0.5% -7.6%
2017 0.5% +2.5%
2018 0.5% +1.2%
2019 0.4% -8.0%
2020 0.4% -2.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8%, 55% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 52% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
2000s 0.5% 0.3% 0.6% 7
2010s 0.5% 0.4% 0.5% 10
2020s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 91 Georgia 0.4% compare
  2. 92 Greece 0.4% compare
  3. 93 Italy 0.4% compare
  4. 95 Kosovo 0.4% compare
  5. 95 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 0.4% compare
  6. 97 Djibouti 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa?
Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa was 0.4% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2008.
What is the lowest youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban?
South Africa ranks 94th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
Is youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban (% of urban youth labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/youth-employment-rate-aged-15-24-urban-percent-of-urban-youth-labor-force/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth employment rate, aged 15-24, urban (% of urban youth labor force)
Unit
% of urban youth labor force
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
97 places, 1,339 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed