South Africa Average Annual Working Hours 2023: 2,181 hours

South Africa's average annual working hours in 2023 is 2,181 hours, down 0.1% from 2022. It ranks #30 of 129 countries.

Average annual working hours per worker indicates productivity and work-life balance in each country.

Source (2023): Annual working hours per worker | Our World in Data

Historical Trend

Average Annual Working Hours over time

Year-by-Year Data
YearValueChange% ChangeActions
20232.18K hours3.02 hours-0.14%
20222.18K hours+30.2 hours+1.40%
20212.15K hours+82.63 hours+3.99%
20202.07K hours135.24 hours-6.13%
20192.21K hours+15.5 hours+0.71%
20182.19K hours5.67 hours-0.26%
20172.20K hours21.43 hours-0.97%
20162.22K hours+9.37 hours+0.42%
20142.21K hours2.9 hours-0.13%
20132.21K hours12.12 hours-0.54%
20122.22K hours30.48 hours-1.35%
20112.25K hours+18.85 hours+0.84%
20102.24K hours13.57 hours-0.60%
20092.25K hours34.92 hours-1.53%
20082.28K hours37.89 hours-1.63%
20072.32K hours+6.37 hours+0.28%
20062.32K hours83.68 hours-3.49%
20052.40K hours+57.16 hours+2.44%
20042.34K hours+23.59 hours+1.02%
20032.32K hours64.09 hours-2.69%
20022.38K hours+6.43 hours+0.27%
20012.38K hours——

Frequently Asked Questions About South Africa Average Annual Working Hours

What is South Africa's average annual working hours in 2023?▾

South Africa's average annual working hours is 2,181 hours in 2023, according to Annual working hours per worker | Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table and others via Our World in Data.

Is South Africa's average annual working hours increasing or decreasing?▾

South Africa's average annual working hours fell by 0.1% from 2022 (2,184 hours) to 2023 (2,181 hours). Over the past decade (2013–2023) it fell by 1.4%.

How does South Africa rank for average annual working hours?▾

In 2023, South Africa has the 30th highest average annual working hours out of 129 countries with data.

What was South Africa's average annual working hours in 2001?▾

In 2001, South Africa's average annual working hours was 2,376 hours. By 2023 it fell by 8.2%.

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