Share of female directors in South Africa
South Africa: Share of female directors was 47.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Share of female directors in South Africa, 2014–2022
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of total directors.
Analysis
In 2022, share of female directors in South Africa stood at 47.6%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.3% on the previous year and up 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female directors in South Africa peaked at 47.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 39.3%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 1st out of 71 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of female directors in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total directors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41.6% | — |
| 2015 | 39.3% | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 39.7% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 39.6% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 40.2% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 39.9% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 41.3% | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 47.6% | +15.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 39.9% | 39.3% | 41.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 42.9% | 39.9% | 47.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More private sector data for South Africa
- Merchandise trade 57.2% (2025)
- Food imports 7.2% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 62.1% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 128.08 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 12.8% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 38.3% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 116.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,798 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2725 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female directors in South Africa?
- Share of female directors in South Africa was 47.6% in 2022, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of female directors recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 47.6% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of female directors recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.3% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for share of female directors?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 71 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of female directors rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of female directors (% of total directors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of female directors is the proportion of female directors of newly registered limited liability companies out of the total number of directors of newly registered limited liability companies in the economy in the calendar year. A director is defined as an individual who conducts the affairs of newly registered limited liability companies in the calendar year.