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

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

Latest (2020)
0.6%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
5th
of 111 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 2002
All-time low
0.5%
in 2008
Years of data
21
1995–2020

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

00.20.40.60.81995200720201995: 0.514 % of total youth labor force2000: 0.486 % of total youth labor force2001: 0.511 % of total youth labor force2002: 0.705 % of total youth labor force2003: 0.568 % of total youth labor force2004: 0.566 % of total youth labor force2006: 0.637 % of total youth labor force2007: 0.625 % of total youth labor force2008: 0.456 % of total youth labor force2009: 0.483 % of total youth labor force2010: 0.512 % of total youth labor force2011: 0.503 % of total youth labor force2012: 0.517 % of total youth labor force2013: 0.515 % of total youth labor force2014: 0.513 % of total youth labor force2015: 0.501 % of total youth labor force2016: 0.534 % of total youth labor force2017: 0.534 % of total youth labor force2018: 0.534 % of total youth labor force2019: 0.57 % of total youth labor force2020: 0.594 % of total youth labor force

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.6% for youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total in South Africa peaked at 0.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2008.

That places South Africa 5th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Annual values for Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total (% of total youth labor force) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of total youth labor force Change
1995 0.5%
2000 0.5% -5.4%
2001 0.5% +5.2%
2002 0.7% +38.0%
2003 0.6% -19.5%
2004 0.6% -0.3%
2006 0.6% +12.5%
2007 0.6% -1.8%
2008 0.5% -27.1%
2009 0.5% +6.0%
2010 0.5% +6.0%
2011 0.5% -1.8%
2012 0.5% +2.8%
2013 0.5% -0.4%
2014 0.5% -0.4%
2015 0.5% -2.2%
2016 0.5% +6.4%
2017 0.5% +0.1%
2018 0.5% +0.1%
2019 0.6% +6.7%
2020 0.6% +4.1%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 2.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 9.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
2000s 0.6% 0.5% 0.7% 9
2010s 0.5% 0.5% 0.6% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 2 Kazakhstan 0.7% compare
  2. 3 Kosovo 0.6% compare
  3. 3 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 0.6% compare
  4. 6 Greece 0.5% compare
  5. 7 Italy 0.5% compare
  6. 8 Albania 0.5% compare

See the full ranking of 111 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total in South Africa?
Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total in South Africa was 0.6% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2002.
What is the lowest youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
How does South Africa rank for youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total?
South Africa ranks 5th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
Is youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. 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, total (% of total youth labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/youth-unemployment-rate-aged-15-24-total-percent-of-total-youth-labor-force/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/youth-unemployment-rate-aged-15-24-total-percent-of-total-youth-labor-force/south-africa/">Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24, total (% of total youth labor force)
Unit
% of total youth labor force
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
111 places, 1,633 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed