Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by was 0.8446 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.8446
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
9th
of 21 countries
All-time high
0.8541
in 2019
All-time low
0.6266
in 2013
Years of data
12
2008–2020

Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa, 2008–2020

00.20.40.60.82008201420202008: 0.7142009: 0.7182010: 0.6542012: 0.7192013: 0.6272014: 0.6672015: 0.812016: 0.8462017: 0.8082018: 0.8532019: 0.8542020: 0.845

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.8446 for public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in 2020.

The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 29.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa peaked at 0.8541 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.6266, in 2013.

That places South Africa 9th out of 21 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by occupation: Teachers in South Africa, 2008 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2008 0.7142
2009 0.7178 +0.5%
2010 0.6535 -9.0%
2012 0.7185 +9.9%
2013 0.6266 -12.8%
2014 0.6673 +6.5%
2015 0.8096 +21.3%
2016 0.8459 +4.5%
2017 0.8079 -4.5%
2018 0.8533 +5.6%
2019 0.8541 +0.1%
2020 0.8446 -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.716 0.7142 0.7178 2
2010s 0.7596 0.6266 0.8541 9
2020s 0.8446 0.8446 0.8446 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Ethiopia 0.9059 compare
  2. 7 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.9026 compare
  3. 8 Pakistan 0.8583 compare
  4. 10 Costa Rica 0.8413 compare
  5. 11 Paraguay 0.8405
  6. 12 Sri Lanka 0.8396 compare

See the full ranking of 21 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa was 0.8446 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.8541 in 2019.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6266 in 2013.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by?
South Africa ranks 9th out of 21 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.2%. 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 Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by occupation: Teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-formal-employment-by-occupation-teachers/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment, by occupation: Teachers
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
21 places, 220 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed