Share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in South Africa
South Africa: Share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector was 35.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 35.4% for share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in 2024.
The figure is up 14.8% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in South Africa peaked at 80.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 30.9%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 53rd of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 80.5% | — |
| 2001 | 79.1% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 79.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 79.1% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 78.2% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 74.3% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 73.1% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 71.8% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 41.4% | -42.3% |
| 2009 | 38.9% | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 37.8% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 38.5% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 39.6% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 36.9% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 35.8% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 36.9% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 35.0% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 36.1% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 38.0% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 34.0% | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 31.7% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 32.1% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 30.9% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 35.4% | +14.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 69.6% | 38.9% | 80.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 35.0% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.8% | 30.9% | 35.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in South Africa?
- Share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector in South Africa was 35.4% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 80.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.9% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector?
- South Africa ranks 53rd out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in informal employment in the agricultural sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex - 13th ICLS (%).