Unemployment rate (annual) in South Africa

International Monetary Fund · Annual · Importance

IMF forecast (WEO): 2026: 32.5% 2027: 32.4% 2028: 32.2% 2029: 32.1% 2030: 32.0% 2031: 31.9%

23.3% (1999) ANUAL · % · Annual · CSV

Period	%
Jan 1999	23.3%
Jan 1998	26.1%
Jan 1997	22.0%
Jan 1996	20.3%
Jan 1995	16.5%
Jan 1994	22.9%
Jan 1993	22.2%
Jan 1992	21.2%
Jan 1991	20.2%
Jan 1990	18.8%

About this indicator

Source

International Monetary Fund

Frequency

Annual

Release

Published annually, covering the full year and subject to revision.

What it is

Measures the share of South Africa's labour force that is unemployed but available for and seeking work. Published by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), it is the key indicator of a labour market with structurally very high joblessness.

How it's calculated

Compiled from Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) under ILO criteria, as unemployed over the labour force, times one hundred. Released quarterly, with a broader expanded rate that also counts discouraged workers.

Market implications

It is a first-order social and economic variable in South Africa, shaping Reserve Bank policy and the rand. Persistently high unemployment curbs consumption, strains public finances and weighs on potential growth.

Limitations

It is subject to sampling error and revisions, and the narrow official rate understates vast informal employment and labour discouragement. Seasonality and methodological changes also complicate comparisons.