Labor Force of South Africa
Updated on May 15, 2023.

According to recent data from the World Bank, in 2022, the Labor Force of South Africa was 24,308,964, a difference of +687,502 (2.91% increase) compared to 2021. Also, the male labor force was 13,010,158, and the female labor force was 11,298,806.

Use the interactive visualization and table below to explore the values for each year between 1990-2022.

The World Bank defines Labor Force as "people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period; it includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers" .

See also: Female Percent of the Labor Force of South Africa.

Data Source: World Bank.
Labor Force of South Africa
Total
Male
Female
Labor Force of South Africa
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Year Total Labor Force Male Labor Force Female Labor Force
1990 15502719 9069091 6433628
1991 15795955 9221679 6574276
1992 16002909 9272085 6730824
1993 16207343 9273842 6933501
1994 16452296 9295547 7156749
1995 16733331 9332179 7401152
1996 17042659 9385392 7657267
1997 17391928 9508167 7883761
1998 17767558 9685096 8082462
1999 18138149 9852643 8285506
2000 18506395 10015661 8490734
2001 18895840 10199974 8695866
2002 19289342 10379595 8909747
2003 19672944 10548633 9124311
2004 20036920 10709734 9327186
2005 20373728 10863272 9510456
2006 20698572 11019920 9678652
2007 21019310 11182273 9837037
2008 21338378 11347749 9990629
2009 21088301 11212650 9875651
2010 19990943 10803106 9187837
2011 21055801 11201686 9854115
2012 21285409 11391951 9893458
2013 21678833 11565657 10113176
2014 21981198 11781922 10199276
2015 23120551 12431920 10688631
2016 23430091 12621790 10808301
2017 23776332 12677540 11098792
2018 23771537 12691624 11079913
2019 24142655 12860792 11281863
2020 22920638 12246497 10674141
2021 23621462 12635120 10986342
2022 24308964 13010158 11298806