Unemployment rate in South Africa: our forecast to 2035
Satoria projects unemployment rate in South Africa at about 26.7% in 2035, from 32.4% recorded in 2025. 80% range 17.7% to 36.8%.
How far the evidence reaches
Beyond tested horizon. Tests cover up to 5 years ahead (through 2030 from this reference), across 51 country series. Longer horizons extend beyond those tests. Colours show evidence, not certainty.
The full name of this series is Unemployment rate (unemployment rate, annual).
The path
- 2026: Satoria forecast 31.7% (80% range 28.9 to 34.4)
- 2027: Satoria forecast 30.8% (80% range 26.4 to 34.7)
- 2031: Satoria forecast 28.2% (80% range 20.5 to 36.3)
- 2035: Satoria forecast 26.7% (80% range 17.7 to 36.8)
Where it starts
The latest source value is 32.4% recorded in 2025, published by International Monetary Fund - World Economic Outlook. Everything after that year is Satoria's forecast, with the range printed next to it.
The same measure elsewhere
Every forecast we have for South Africa · Unemployment rate in every country
This forecast as data: https://satoria-pipeline-production.up.railway.app/api/forecast/imf.unemployment_rate?country=ZAF
Conditions and limits
A share of the workforce
Unemployment is the percentage of the labour force that is unemployed, not the percentage of all residents and not your personal chance of finding work. A change in participation or migration can change this rate without an equivalent change in the number of jobs.
What this number can establish
The published record supports a statistical projection and a model range. It does not establish why a future event will happen. Connections between measurements are predictive associations, not proof of causation. Source measurements, estimates and Satoria forecasts must be read separately.
The model range is not a guarantee. Historical test coverage is not the probability of the central forecast happening.
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