South Africa’s unemployment rate has become a pressing issue for the country in the 30 years since the transition to democracy. The lowest recorded rate was 16.2% in 1995.

Although the methodology used to track unemployment has been refined over the years, this figure still stands in stark contrast to the highest rate of 35.3%, recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021. The most recent unemployment rate is 32.9%.

Statistics SA defines the unemployment rate as the proportion of people in the labour force between 15 and 64 who were not employed but available for work and actively looking for it. This number first surpassed 30% in 2003 and has consistently stayed above this threshold since the third quarter of 2020.

The so-called expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged job seekers, has remained above 40% since mid-2020, highlighting the country’s broader economic challenges.