South Africa's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) was 34.45% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 7.43 percentage points from 27.02% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 34.45% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 30.5% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 27.02% | 2014 |
| Highest | 41.32% | 2002 |
| Lowest | 25.54% | 2009 |
| Average since 2015 | 31.71% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 33.69% | 1997 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, South Africa's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) fell 0.13 percentage points on 2023 (from 34.58% to 34.45%).
Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.69 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 5.4 percentage points in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.43 percentage points in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.94 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 80% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 38.43% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.93%, against 1.51% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2024, South Africa had the 1st highest value of the 22 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.
Closest to South Africa in the 2024 ranking
What this measures
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.
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 28 values
| Year | Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 34.45 |
| 2023 | 34.58 |
| 2022 | 35.4 |
| 2021 | 36.32 |
| 2020 | 31.02 |
| 2019 | 30.5 |
| 2018 | 29.05 |
| 2017 | 29.26 |
| 2016 | 28.98 |
| 2015 | 27.52 |
| 2014 |
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
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) (national estimate)?
- 34.45% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1997?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.FE.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 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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