South Africa · annual SERIES
Labour force participation in South Africa
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.
55.58%%
2025Observation year
+0.01 pp from 2024
% · ILOSTAT via World Bank WDI · Missing observations remain gaps.
Underlying data
Download CSV| Year | Value | Status & source note |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 55.584 | present |
| 2024 | 55.57 | present |
| 2023 | 55.02 | present |
| 2022 | 53.499 | present |
| 2021 | 52.024 | present |
| 2020 | 50.548 | present |
| 2019 | 55.267 | present |
| 2018 | 55.161 | present |
| 2017 | 55.359 | present |
| 2016 | 54.714 | present |
| 2015 | 54.591 | present |
| 2014 | 53.314 | present |
| 2013 | 53.078 | present |
| 2012 | 52.507 | present |
| 2011 | 52.171 | present |
| 2010 | 52.265 | present |
| 2009 | 53.956 | present |
| 2008 | 55.786 | present |
| 2007 | 55.877 | present |
| 2006 | 55.994 | present |
| 2005 | 56.129 | present |
| 2004 | 56.295 | present |
| 2003 | 56.504 | present |
| 2002 | 56.748 | present |
| 2001 | 57.007 | present |
| 2000 | 57.263 | present |
Definition & method
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
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.
What to keep in mind
- Modelled ILO estimates for both sexes ages 15+. Estimates differ from national survey series.
- Annual 2000–2025 selection; unavailable values remain missing.
- The ILO modelled series includes unlabelled imputed observations with high uncertainty. Country comparisons and rankings are disabled; same-country comparisons retain this caution.