Population ages 15-64, male in South Africa

South Africa: Population ages 15-64, male was 67.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
67.9%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
60th
of 218 countries
All-time high
68.0%
in 2024
All-time low
54.2%
in 1971
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Population ages 15-64, male in South Africa, 1960–2025

0204060196019922025

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of male population.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 67.9% for population ages 15-64, male in 2025.

That represents a change of up 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population ages 15-64, male in South Africa peaked at 68.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 54.2%, in 1971.

South Africa ranks 60th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.

Population ages 15-64, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Population ages 15-64, male (% of male population) in South Africa, 1960 to 2025.
Year % of male population Change
1960 55.5%
1961 55.4% -0.2%
1962 55.3% -0.2%
1963 55.2% -0.1%
1964 55.1% -0.2%
1965 54.9% -0.3%
1966 54.8% -0.3%
1967 54.6% -0.3%
1968 54.5% -0.3%
1969 54.3% -0.2%
1970 54.2% -0.2%
1971 54.2% -0.0%
1972 54.3% +0.1%
1973 54.4% +0.2%
1974 54.5% +0.2%
1975 54.6% +0.2%
1976 54.7% +0.2%
1977 54.9% +0.3%
1978 55.2% +0.5%
1979 55.4% +0.4%
1980 55.8% +0.6%
1981 56.2% +0.7%
1982 56.5% +0.6%
1983 56.8% +0.5%
1984 57.0% +0.4%
1985 57.3% +0.5%
1986 57.6% +0.5%
1987 57.9% +0.5%
1988 58.2% +0.6%
1989 58.6% +0.6%
1990 59.0% +0.7%
1991 59.2% +0.4%
1992 58.9% -0.5%
1993 59.5% +1.1%
1994 59.3% -0.4%
1995 57.9% -2.5%
1996 56.9% -1.7%
1997 56.5% -0.7%
1998 57.2% +1.3%
1999 58.0% +1.4%
2000 58.9% +1.5%
2001 59.8% +1.5%
2002 60.7% +1.6%
2003 61.6% +1.5%
2004 62.4% +1.3%
2005 63.0% +1.0%
2006 63.5% +0.8%
2007 63.9% +0.7%
2008 64.3% +0.5%
2009 64.6% +0.4%
2010 64.9% +0.5%
2011 65.3% +0.5%
2012 65.5% +0.4%
2013 65.8% +0.4%
2014 66.0% +0.3%
2015 66.3% +0.4%
2016 66.2% -0.2%
2017 66.1% -0.1%
2018 66.4% +0.6%
2019 66.8% +0.6%
2020 67.2% +0.6%
2021 67.6% +0.5%
2022 67.8% +0.3%
2023 67.9% +0.2%
2024 68.0% +0.1%
2025 67.9% -0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 67.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.4%, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 67.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.1%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 55.0% 54.3% 55.5% 10
1970s 54.7% 54.2% 55.4% 10
1980s 57.2% 55.8% 58.6% 10
1990s 58.2% 56.5% 59.5% 10
2000s 62.3% 58.9% 64.6% 10
2010s 65.9% 64.9% 66.8% 10
2020s 67.7% 67.2% 68.0% 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 57 Northern Mariana Islands 68.2% compare
  2. 58 Libya 68.2% compare
  3. 59 Russian Federation 68.1% compare
  4. 61 Uruguay 67.9% compare
  5. 62 Slovakia 67.8% compare
  6. 63 Ecuador 67.8% compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population ages 15-64, male in South Africa?
Population ages 15-64, male in South Africa was 67.9% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest population ages 15-64, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 68.0% in 2024.
What is the lowest population ages 15-64, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 54.2% in 1971.
How does South Africa rank for population ages 15-64, male?
South Africa ranks 60th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
Is population ages 15-64, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population ages 15-64, male (% of male population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population ages 15-64, male in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/population-ages-15-64-male-percent-of-male-population/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Population ages 15-64, male (% of male population)
Unit
% of male population
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,556 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Male population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total male population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.