Gender income gap in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Gender income gap was 60.81 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Gender income gap in Southern Africa, 2004–2026
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Southern Africa recorded 60.81 for gender income gap in 2026. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender income gap in Southern Africa peaked at 60.81 in 2026 and was at its lowest, 54.08, in 2004.
Southern Africa ranks 28th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Gender income gap in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 54.08 | — |
| 2005 | 54.13 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 54.34 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 54.85 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 54.99 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 56.12 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 55.56 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 56.01 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 56.13 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 57.33 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 57.27 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 56.89 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 56.7 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 57.62 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 57.77 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 57.57 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 58.75 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 57.06 | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 58.36 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 58.65 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 59.27 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 60.09 | +1.4% |
| 2026 | 60.81 | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.75 | 54.08 | 56.12 | 6 |
| 2010s | 56.88 | 55.56 | 57.77 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59 | 57.06 | 60.81 | 7 |
More gender data for Southern Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 20,374 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.5706 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 43.89 (2027)
- Number of seats held by women in national parliaments 274 (2026)
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments 35.8% (2026)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia 31.0% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, pregnant 29.6% (2023)
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years with anaemia, non-pregnant 31.1% (2023)
- Proportion of women in managerial positions - 13th ICLS 36.9% (2025)
- Ratio for female members of parliaments (Ratio of the proportion of) 0.7% (2026)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender income gap in Southern Africa?
- Gender income gap in Southern Africa was 60.81 in 2026, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest gender income gap recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 60.81 in 2026.
- What is the lowest gender income gap recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.08 in 2004.
- How does Southern Africa rank for gender income gap?
- Southern Africa ranks 28th out of 87 groups with data for 2026.
- Is gender income gap rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Gender income gap (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. The gender income gap, expressed as a percentage, is calculated as the ratio of women's total labour income to men's total labour income. This indicator reflects gender disparities in work earnings. For example, a value of less than 100 indicates that women earn less than men, with 100 implying parity between men and women. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.