The number of unemployed persons in South Africa increased to 8481 Thousand in the second quarter of 2026 from 8137 Thousand in the first quarter of 2026. Unemployed Persons in South Africa averaged 5927.69 Thousand from 2001 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 8481.00 Thousand in the second quarter of 2026 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 8050.00 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.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-12 09:00 AM
Unemployed Persons
Q1 8.137M 7.836M 8.2M
2026-08-11 09:00 AM
Unemployed Persons
Q2 8.481M 8.137M 8.3M
2026-11-11 09:30 AM
Unemployed Persons
Q3 8.481M 8.1M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 16739.00 16754.00 Thousand Jun 2026
Employment Rate 39.60 39.70 percent Jun 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 59.60 59.00 percent Jun 2026
Population 63.10 63.02 Million Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 8481.00 8137.00 Thousand Jun 2026
Unemployment Rate 33.60 32.70 percent Jun 2026
Wages 29997.00 29738.00 ZAR/Month Mar 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 25190.00 25538.00 ZAR/Month Mar 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 62.80 60.90 percent Jun 2026


South Africa Unemployed Persons
In South Africa, unemployed persons are individuals who are without a job and actively seeking to work.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
8481.00 8137.00 8481.00 3984.00 2001 - 2026 Thousand Quarterly
Volume, NSA