Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa

South Africa: Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male was 0.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
0.6%
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
3rd
of 108 countries
All-time high
0.6%
in 2002
All-time low
0.4%
in 2008
Years of data
21
1995–2020

Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.61995200720201995: 0.46 % of male youth labor force2000: 0.448 % of male youth labor force2001: 0.494 % of male youth labor force2002: 0.63 % of male youth labor force2003: 0.542 % of male youth labor force2004: 0.517 % of male youth labor force2006: 0.567 % of male youth labor force2007: 0.57 % of male youth labor force2008: 0.417 % of male youth labor force2009: 0.451 % of male youth labor force2010: 0.481 % of male youth labor force2011: 0.463 % of male youth labor force2012: 0.476 % of male youth labor force2013: 0.481 % of male youth labor force2014: 0.48 % of male youth labor force2015: 0.464 % of male youth labor force2016: 0.486 % of male youth labor force2017: 0.492 % of male youth labor force2018: 0.492 % of male youth labor force2019: 0.532 % of male youth labor force2020: 0.554 % of male youth labor force

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

Analysis

In 2020, youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa stood at 0.6%.

That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa peaked at 0.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2008.

That places South Africa 3rd out of 108 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male (% of male youth labor force) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of male youth labor force Change
1995 0.5%
2000 0.4% -2.7%
2001 0.5% +10.2%
2002 0.6% +27.7%
2003 0.5% -14.1%
2004 0.5% -4.6%
2006 0.6% +9.8%
2007 0.6% +0.4%
2008 0.4% -26.7%
2009 0.5% +8.0%
2010 0.5% +6.8%
2011 0.5% -3.8%
2012 0.5% +3.0%
2013 0.5% +0.9%
2014 0.5% -0.1%
2015 0.5% -3.5%
2016 0.5% +4.8%
2017 0.5% +1.2%
2018 0.5% -0.0%
2019 0.5% +8.2%
2020 0.6% +4.2%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 2.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 8.8× the median. (19 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
2000s 0.5% 0.4% 0.6% 9
2010s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Djibouti 0.7% compare
  2. 2 Kazakhstan 0.7% compare
  3. 4 Greece 0.5% compare
  4. 5 Italy 0.5% compare
  5. 6 Kosovo 0.5% compare
  6. 6 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 0.5% 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 youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa?
Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa was 0.6% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2002.
What is the lowest youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2008.
How does South Africa rank for youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male?
South Africa ranks 3rd out of 108 countries with data for 2020.
Is youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. 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 unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male (% of male youth labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/youth-unemployment-rate-aged-15-24-male-percent-of-male-youth-labor-force/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, male (% of male youth labor force)
Unit
% of male youth labor force
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
108 places, 1,528 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed