Annual working hours vs. productivity in South Africa
South Africa: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 2,181 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours vs. productivity in South Africa, 2001–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours vs. productivity in South Africa is 2,181 hours per worker, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in South Africa peaked at 2,399 hours per worker in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,072 hours per worker, in 2020.
That places South Africa 30th out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,332 hours per worker | 2,249 hours per worker | 2,399 hours per worker | 9 |
| 2010s | 2,217 hours per worker | 2,191 hours per worker | 2,255 hours per worker | 9 |
| 2020s | 2,148 hours per worker | 2,072 hours per worker | 2,184 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- DEC alternative conversion factor 17.89 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 84.7% (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added 516.99 billion constant LCU (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure 65.8% (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 361.93 billion current US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 6.47 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 324.56 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 2.7% (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added 40.55 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added 52.35 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in South Africa?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity in South Africa was 2,181 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2,399 hours per worker in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,072 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours vs. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.