Number of public paid employees in South Africa

South Africa: Number of public paid employees was 10,368 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
10,368
Change on year
down 24.4%
World rank
16th
of 80 countries
All-time high
17,629
in 2013
All-time low
3,112
in 2017
Years of data
19
2000–2020

Number of public paid employees in South Africa, 2000–2020

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2000201020202000: 6.4k2001: 9.7k2003: 9.0k2004: 8.7k2005: 9.4k2006: 8.9k2007: 9.6k2008: 17.0k2009: 16.4k2010: 15.7k2012: 17.0k2013: 17.6k2014: 16.0k2015: 15.1k2016: 14.2k2017: 3.1k2018: 14.2k2019: 13.7k2020: 10.4k

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 10,368 for number of public paid employees in 2020.

The figure is down 24.4% on the previous year and down 33.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of public paid employees in South Africa peaked at 17,629 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3,112, in 2017.

South Africa ranks 16th of 80 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Number of public paid employees in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Number of public paid employees in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 6,426
2001 9,720 +51.3%
2003 9,007 -7.3%
2004 8,730 -3.1%
2005 9,356 +7.2%
2006 8,939 -4.5%
2007 9,570 +7.1%
2008 16,957 +77.2%
2009 16,377 -3.4%
2010 15,663 -4.4%
2012 16,961 +8.3%
2013 17,629 +3.9%
2014 15,986 -9.3%
2015 15,076 -5.7%
2016 14,216 -5.7%
2017 3,112 -78.1%
2018 14,240 +357.6%
2019 13,719 -3.7%
2020 10,368 -24.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10,565 6,426 16,957 9
2010s 14,067 3,112 17,629 9
2020s 10,368 10,368 10,368 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 13 Venezuela 12,493 compare
  2. 14 Chile 11,892 compare
  3. 15 Ethiopia 10,997 compare
  4. 17 Argentina 8,504 compare
  5. 18 United States 7,991 compare
  6. 19 Tunisia 7,011 compare

See the full ranking of 80 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of public paid employees in South Africa?
Number of public paid employees in South Africa was 10,368 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest number of public paid employees recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17,629 in 2013.
What is the lowest number of public paid employees recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3,112 in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for number of public paid employees?
South Africa ranks 16th out of 80 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of public paid employees rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Number of public paid employees. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of public paid employees in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-public-paid-employees/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of public paid employees
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
80 places, 1,013 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed