South Africa's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) was 34% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 6.51 percentage points from 27.49% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 34% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 31% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 27.49% | 2015 |
| Highest | 36.3% | 2021 |
| Lowest | 25.5% | 2009 |
| Average since 2016 | 32.33% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 27.07% | 1991 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, South Africa's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.44 percentage points on 2024 (from 34.44% to 34%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.11 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.3 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.92 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.79 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 68% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, South Africa had the 3rd highest value of the 182 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 34% | 2025 |
| World | 4.94% | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 6.25% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 5.15% | 2025 |
Closest to South Africa in the 2025 ranking
- Eswatini — 1st of 182: 36.03%
- Djibouti — 2nd of 182: 35.43%
- Yemen, Rep. — 4th of 182: 30.34%
- Iraq — 5th of 182: 30.09%
- Gabon — 6th of 182: 28.58%
What this measures
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.
Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 35 values
| Year | Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 |
| 2024 | 34.44 |
| 2023 | 34.56 |
| 2022 | 35.38 |
| 2021 | 36.3 |
| 2020 | 31 |
| 2019 | 30.48 |
| 2018 | 29.01 |
| 2017 | 29.22 |
| 2016 | 28.95 |
| 2015 |
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in nearby economies
- Angola — 14.26% (2025)
- Benin — 1.38% (2025)
- Botswana — 27.88% (2025)
- Burkina Faso — 4.26% (2025)
- Burundi — 0.81% (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 11.39% (2025)
- Cameroon — 4.15% (2025)
- Central African Republic — 7% (2025)
- Chad
More social protection & labor data for South Africa
- Net migration — 146,370 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 1,319 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 24.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 29.12% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 26.83% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 55.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 65.95% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)?
- 34% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1991?
- It is up 6.92 percentage points from 27.07% in 1991. The highest value was 36.3% in 2021 and the lowest 25.5% in 2009.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 3rd highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) unusual for South Africa?
- In 2025, South Africa's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.44 percentage points on 2024 (from 34.44% to 34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.11 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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