| Year | Official rate | Expanded rate | Youth, 15 to 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31.6% | 41.2% | 59.4% |
| 2025 | 32.1% | 41.9% | 60.2% |
| 2024 | 32.1% | 41.9% | 60.8% |
| 2023 | 32.1% | 41.1% | 60.7% |
| 2022 | 33.5% | 42.6% | 61.4% |
| 2021 | 34.9% | 46.2% | 66.5% |
| 2020 | 32.5% | 42.6% | 63.2% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | 38.7% | 58.2% |
| 2018 | 27.1% | 37.0% | 55.2% |
| 2016 | 26.7% | 35.6% | 54.4% |
| 2014 | 25.1% | 34.6% | 51.3% |
| 2012 | 24.9% | 35.6% | 51.5% |
| 2010 | 24.9% | 35.8% | 51.0% |
| 2008 | 22.5% | 31.2% | 45.9% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | 38.8% | 50.1% |
| 2002 | 29.4% | 41.8% | 54.2% |
| 2000 | 23.3% | 35.9% | 45.5% |
| Measure | Counts as unemployed |
|---|---|
| Official, narrow | Without work, available to work, and actively looked in the past four weeks |
| Expanded | Without work and available, whether or not they looked |
| The gap | Discouraged work seekers who have stopped looking |
| Labour force participation | Those working or actively looking, as a share of working-age population |
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rand | Limited direct effect; it is a slow variable |
| Bonds | Feeds the fiscal debate through the social grant burden |
| Retail shares | A leading indicator for consumer demand |
| Policy | Central to the growth debate, and to ratings commentary |
Data maintained by TradeAnswers · updated as the figures change