Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa
South Africa: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 8.48 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa stood at 8.48 %.
The figure is up 14.9% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa peaked at 13.91 % in 2001 and was at its lowest, 7.38 %, in 2023.
That places South Africa 66th out of 68 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.06 % | — |
| 2001 | 13.91 % | +15.3% |
| 2002 | 12.44 % | -10.6% |
| 2003 | 12.37 % | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 10.86 % | -12.2% |
| 2005 | 12.63 % | +16.3% |
| 2006 | 11.97 % | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 11.43 % | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 10.95 % | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 11.44 % | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 12.5 % | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 10.38 % | -17.0% |
| 2012 | 9.29 % | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 7.95 % | -14.4% |
| 2014 | 8.42 % | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 7.74 % | -8.1% |
| 2016 | 8.9 % | +15.0% |
| 2017 | 8.91 % | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 8.78 % | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 7.91 % | -9.9% |
| 2020 | 13.88 % | +75.5% |
| 2021 | 10.88 % | -21.6% |
| 2022 | 8.37 % | -23.1% |
| 2023 | 7.38 % | -11.8% |
| 2024 | 8.48 % | +14.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.48 % is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.34 %, 13% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.48 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 77.25 %, 11% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +75.5% | 7.91 % | 13.88 % |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.01 % | 10.86 % | 13.91 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.08 % | 7.74 % | 12.5 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.8 % | 7.38 % | 13.88 % | 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 self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa?
- Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in South Africa was 8.48 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 13.91 % in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.38 % in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
- South Africa ranks 66th out of 68 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Agricultural employment — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.