The number of unemployed persons in South Africa increased to 8137 Thousand in the first quarter of 2026 from 7836 Thousand in the fourth quarter of 2025. Unemployed Persons in South Africa averaged 5895.77 Thousand from 2001 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 8384.00 Thousand in the second quarter of 2024 and a record low of 3984.00 Thousand in the first quarter of 2006. source: Statistics South Africa
Unemployed Persons in South Africa is expected to be 8350.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the South Africa Unemployed Persons is projected to trend around 7885.00 Thousand in 2027 and 8000.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.