Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Southern Africa

Southern Africa: Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm was 52.9 % in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
52.9 %
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
17th
of 31 groups
All-time high
53.26 %
in 2021
All-time low
44.98 %
in 2007
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Southern Africa, 2000–2023

02040602000201120232000: 51.8 %2001: 48.2 %2002: 48.1 %2003: 48.4 %2004: 49.2 %2005: 47.2 %2006: 45.5 %2007: 45 %2008: 51.3 %2009: 51.2 %2010: 52.2 %2011: 52 %2012: 52 %2013: 51.3 %2014: 52.5 %2015: 51.9 %2016: 51.1 %2017: 50.2 %2018: 50.2 %2019: 51.3 %2020: 52 %2021: 53.3 %2022: 52.7 %2023: 52.9 %

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

Analysis

In 2023, share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Southern Africa stood at 52.9 %.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Southern Africa peaked at 53.26 % in 2021 and was at its lowest, 44.98 %, in 2007.

Southern Africa ranks 17th of 31 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems in Southern Africa, 2000 to 2023.
Year % Change
2000 51.8 %
2001 48.21 % -6.9%
2002 48.14 % -0.1%
2003 48.44 % +0.6%
2004 49.2 % +1.6%
2005 47.19 % -4.1%
2006 45.52 % -3.5%
2007 44.98 % -1.2%
2008 51.29 % +14.0%
2009 51.17 % -0.2%
2010 52.24 % +2.1%
2011 51.96 % -0.5%
2012 52.01 % +0.1%
2013 51.28 % -1.4%
2014 52.49 % +2.4%
2015 51.92 % -1.1%
2016 51.09 % -1.6%
2017 50.21 % -1.7%
2018 50.17 % -0.1%
2019 51.26 % +2.2%
2020 52.05 % +1.5%
2021 53.26 % +2.3%
2022 52.69 % -1.1%
2023 52.9 % +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 48.59 % 44.98 % 51.8 % 10
2010s 51.46 % 50.17 % 52.49 % 10
2020s 52.72 % 52.05 % 53.26 % 4

Countries ranked near Southern Africa

  1. 14 Kuwait 82.34 % compare
  2. 14 Timor-Leste 38.29 % compare
  3. 15 Lao People's Democratic Republic 37.99 % compare
  4. 15 Saudi Arabia 81.66 % compare
  5. 16 Bahrain 81.04 % compare
  6. 16 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 37.12 % compare
  7. 17 Tunisia 80.55 % compare
  8. 17 Melanesia 36.47 % compare
  9. 18 Morocco 79.88 % compare
  10. 18 Polynesia 21.8 % compare
  11. 19 India 79.2 % compare
  12. 20 Malta 78.14 % compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa

All data for Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Southern Africa?
Share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Southern Africa was 52.9 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 53.26 % in 2021.
What is the lowest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 44.98 % in 2007.
How does Southern Africa rank for share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm?
Southern Africa ranks 17th out of 31 groups with data for 2023.
Is share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm rising or falling in Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Southern Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-by-sex-in-industry-employment-in-off-farm-agrifood-systems-value-male/southern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
206 places, 4,710 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.