South African youth facing a debt crisis
As South Africa marks Youth Month, the latest labour market data shows that millions of young South Africans remain unemployed, while many of those who are working face growing financial pressure from rising living costs, family responsibilities, and debt.
Statistics South Africa's Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2026 showed that only 5.6 million of the country's 21 million people aged between 15 and 34 were employed.
Another 4.7 million young people were unemployed, while 10.6 million were not economically active.
The official unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 34 rose to 45.8% during the first quarter of the year, while unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 stood at 60.9%.
