Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa
South Africa: Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) was 113.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa, 1991–2025
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT at https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/.
Analysis
In 2025, ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa stood at 113.3%.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa peaked at 124.2% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 112.4%, in 2024.
That places South Africa 89th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 118.9% | — |
| 1992 | 118.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 118.7% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 118.8% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 119.7% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 120.8% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 121.9% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 122.4% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 122.9% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 123.4% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 123.8% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 124.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 124.2% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 124.2% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 124.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 123.9% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 123.7% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 123.3% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 118.0% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 116.0% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 120.5% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 120.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 117.0% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 116.3% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 119.6% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 123.2% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 120.8% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 120.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 116.7% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 116.2% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 115.4% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 113.9% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 113.2% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 112.4% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 113.3% | +0.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 113.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 125.3%, 90% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 113.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 113.3%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 120.3% | 118.7% | 122.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 123.3% | 118.0% | 124.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 119.1% | 116.0% | 123.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 114.1% | 112.4% | 116.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa?
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) in South Africa was 113.3% in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT at https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/.
- What is the highest ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 124.2% in 2004.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 112.4% in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24)?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT at https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/, published as part of Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Ratio of female to male youth unemployment is the percentage of female to male youth unemployment rates.