Female share of low pay earners in South Africa

South Africa: Female share of low pay earners was 49.54 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
49.54
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
36th
of 70 countries
All-time high
50.68
in 2014
All-time low
34.62
in 2002
Years of data
14
2000–2015

Female share of low pay earners in South Africa, 2000–2015

02040602000200720152000: 41.12001: 35.22002: 34.62003: 34.62004: 36.72005: 37.52006: 37.62007: 38.32010: 49.72011: 49.32012: 50.42013: 50.22014: 50.72015: 49.5

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2015, female share of low pay earners in South Africa stood at 49.54.

The figure is down 2.2% on the previous year and up 32.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, female share of low pay earners in South Africa peaked at 50.68 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 34.62, in 2002.

South Africa ranks 36th of 70 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Female share of low pay earners in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Female share of low pay earners in South Africa, 2000 to 2015.
Year Value Change
2000 41.08
2001 35.18 -14.4%
2002 34.62 -1.6%
2003 34.62 +0.0%
2004 36.68 +5.9%
2005 37.55 +2.3%
2006 37.56 +0.0%
2007 38.33 +2.1%
2010 49.74 +29.8%
2011 49.31 -0.9%
2012 50.4 +2.2%
2013 50.21 -0.4%
2014 50.68 +0.9%
2015 49.54 -2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 36.95 34.62 41.08 8
2010s 49.98 49.31 50.68 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 33 Uruguay 50.3
  2. 34 Chile 50.24 compare
  3. 35 Brazil 49.88
  4. 37 Sri Lanka 49 compare
  5. 38 Poland 48.42 compare
  6. 39 Rwanda 48.2

See the full ranking of 70 places →

More gender data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is female share of low pay earners in South Africa?
Female share of low pay earners in South Africa was 49.54 in 2015, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest female share of low pay earners recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 50.68 in 2014.
What is the lowest female share of low pay earners recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 34.62 in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for female share of low pay earners?
South Africa ranks 36th out of 70 countries with data for 2015.
Is female share of low pay earners rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Female share of low pay earners. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Female share of low pay earners in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/female-share-of-low-pay-earners-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Female share of low pay earners
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
70 places, 997 data points, 1990–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This measure of earnings dispersion refers to the percentage of low pay workers, among all low pay workers, who are female. For more information, refer to the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) database description.