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Which province has the lowest unemployment rate?

Western Cape had the lowest official unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2026, at 19.5%, according to Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey.

Official unemployment rate by province, Q2 2026, lowest first
  • Western Cape19.5%
  • Northern Cape28.7%
  • Limpopo32.0%
  • KwaZulu-Natal32.5%
  • Gauteng34.6%
  • Mpumalanga36.6%
  • Free State37.3%
  • North West38.1%
  • Eastern Cape47.5%

Source: Stats SA, Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 2: 2026 (P0211), Table E, page 7. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Open: Western Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, North West, Eastern Cape

How this was worked out

The provincial official unemployment rates in Table E of the release. The ranking is SA Data Hub's.

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