Youth in South Africa

Youth in South Africa are defined by South Africa's National Youth Commission Act, 1996 as those aged 15 through 34 years. In February 2025, Stats SA reported that the South African youth segment totaled approximately 21 million individuals, constituting 33.1% of the country's population.

Like many other developing countries, South Africa's population as a whole is quite young. The elevated level of youth population was, around 2010, expected to exist for the another 20 to 30 years (therefore roughly 5 to 15 years as of 2026). The large proportion of working-age population presents South Africa with a time period of opportunity for human capital and economic development.

Although South Africa transitioned from apartheid to a multiracial democracy in the early-1990s, the policies from the apartheid era have left a continued legacy of significant inequalities. The burden of many of these inequalities falls on South African youth in terms of education, employment, poverty, and health outcomes.

Previous government policies in South Africa have been unfavourable for twenty-first century youth, diminishing their ability to engage meaningfully in socio-economic and political activities of society. During apartheid, many youths were arrested and detained in jail, often without trial; many children were held in adult prisons.

Youth policy is guided by the National Youth Policy (2009-2014), which was developed based on a series of legislative frameworks from 1994 onwards. These legislative and policy frameworks include: the National Youth Commission Act, 1996; White Paper for Social Welfare, 1997; National Youth Development Policy Framework, 2000–2007; and the Draft National Youth Policy, 2008–2013.