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MacroSouth Africa

Unemployment rate in South Africa

How hard is it to have a job there?

South Africa's unemployment rate is 32.39 % — #124 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

32.39%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in South Africa over time

34.01 %28.13 %22.26 %34.01 % · 202122.26 % · 20072000: 22.79 %2001: 22.65 %2002: 22.58 %2003: 22.68 %2004: 22.57 %2005: 22.47 %2006: 22.30 %2007: 22.26 %2008: 22.41 %2009: 23.52 %2010: 24.68 %2011: 24.64 %2012: 24.73 %2013: 24.56 %2014: 24.89 %2015: 25.15 %2016: 26.54 %2017: 27.04 %2018: 26.91 %2019: 28.47 %2020: 29.22 %2021: 34.01 %2022: 33.27 %2023: 32.10 %2024: 32.28 %2025: 32.39 %20002012202532.39 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#124 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
0 %
0 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.11 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
1.62 pp
peak 34.01 % in 2021
Full series
▲ 9.60 pp
since 2000

In Africa: #21 of 21vs median 5.25 %: +27.14 pp (worse)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %South Africa: ahead of 0 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentSouth Africa 32.39 % →0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. South Africa is ahead of 0 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs South Africa
120 Jordan16.54 %−15.86 pp
121 Libya18.76 %−13.63 pp
122 Namibia19.29 %−13.10 pp
123 Botswana24.48 %−7.91 pp
124 South Africa32.39 %—

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about South Africa

GDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare South Africa with another country →Everything about South Africa →
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