ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in South Africa

South Africa: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment was 31.19 % in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
31.19 %
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
39th
of 87 countries
All-time high
34.33 %
in 2000
All-time low
27.47 %
in 2003
Years of data
25
2000–2024

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in South Africa, 2000–2024

01020302000201220242000: 34.3 %2001: 28.7 %2002: 28.5 %2003: 27.5 %2004: 29.3 %2005: 29.2 %2006: 30.7 %2007: 30 %2008: 32 %2009: 31.6 %2010: 33.9 %2011: 33 %2012: 32.5 %2013: 31.1 %2014: 30.6 %2015: 33.2 %2016: 30.5 %2017: 31.5 %2018: 33.2 %2019: 31.6 %2020: 31.6 %2021: 28.2 %2022: 31.4 %2023: 31.8 %2024: 31.2 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 31.19 % for ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment in South Africa peaked at 34.33 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 27.47 %, in 2003.

That places South Africa 39th out of 87 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in agriculture — Female — Value in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 34.33 %
2001 28.74 % -16.3%
2002 28.54 % -0.7%
2003 27.47 % -3.7%
2004 29.31 % +6.7%
2005 29.17 % -0.5%
2006 30.68 % +5.2%
2007 30.02 % -2.2%
2008 31.99 % +6.6%
2009 31.63 % -1.1%
2010 33.86 % +7.1%
2011 32.97 % -2.6%
2012 32.52 % -1.4%
2013 31.09 % -4.4%
2014 30.57 % -1.7%
2015 33.2 % +8.6%
2016 30.52 % -8.1%
2017 31.52 % +3.3%
2018 33.16 % +5.2%
2019 31.58 % -4.8%
2020 31.64 % +0.2%
2021 28.24 % -10.7%
2022 31.41 % +11.2%
2023 31.79 % +1.2%
2024 31.19 % -1.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 31.19 % is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31.63 %, 99% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 31.19 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.33 %, 72% of the median. (10 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 30.19 % 27.47 % 34.33 % 10
2010s 32.1 % 30.52 % 33.86 % 10
2020s 30.85 % 28.24 % 31.79 % 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 36 Sri Lanka 32.07 % compare
  2. 37 Australia 32 % compare
  3. 38 Germany 31.58 % compare
  4. 40 Croatia 31.09 % compare
  5. 41 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 31.05 % compare
  6. 42 Canada 30.81 % compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment in South Africa?
Ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment in South Africa was 31.19 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 34.33 % in 2000.
What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 27.47 % in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment?
South Africa ranks 39th out of 87 countries with data for 2024.
Is ilostat - labour force survey — share of females in total employment rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in agriculture — Female — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/ilostat-labour-force-survey-share-of-females-in-total-employment-in-agriculture-female/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of females in total employment in agriculture — Female — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
96 places, 1,840 data points, 1976–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database. In addition, the ILO modelled estimates and projections (ILOEST) are used to provide information on employment in agriculture. FAOSTAT also publishes indicators on employment in agrifood systems (AFS) from 2000 at the national, regional, and global levels, using a methodology developed by the FAO to estimate the number of people employed within these systems.