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

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment was 0.276 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.276
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
37th
of 59 countries
All-time high
0.3306
in 2001
All-time low
0.2223
in 2017
Years of data
19
2000–2020

Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in South Africa, 2000–2020

00.10.20.32000201020202000: 0.332001: 0.3312003: 0.2892004: 0.282005: 0.2642006: 0.2462007: 0.2562008: 0.2372009: 0.2422010: 0.2462012: 0.2632013: 0.2642014: 0.2282015: 0.2712016: 0.2672017: 0.2222018: 0.2722019: 0.272020: 0.276

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.276 for public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in 2020.

The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in South Africa peaked at 0.3306 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.2223, in 2017.

That places South Africa 37th out of 59 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 0.3304
2001 0.3306 +0.1%
2003 0.2886 -12.7%
2004 0.2804 -2.8%
2005 0.264 -5.9%
2006 0.2461 -6.8%
2007 0.2563 +4.2%
2008 0.2365 -7.7%
2009 0.2416 +2.1%
2010 0.2463 +2.0%
2012 0.2633 +6.9%
2013 0.2644 +0.4%
2014 0.2282 -13.7%
2015 0.2709 +18.7%
2016 0.2666 -1.6%
2017 0.2223 -16.6%
2018 0.2715 +22.1%
2019 0.2704 -0.4%
2020 0.276 +2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.275 0.2365 0.3306 9
2010s 0.256 0.2223 0.2715 9
2020s 0.276 0.276 0.276 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 34 Hungary 0.2784 compare
  2. 35 Slovakia 0.2775 compare
  3. 36 Lithuania 0.2763 compare
  4. 38 Guatemala 0.2733 compare
  5. 39 Australia 0.272 compare
  6. 40 Honduras 0.2695 compare

See the full ranking of 59 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 in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in South Africa was 0.276 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of formal employment recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.3306 in 2001.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of formal employment recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2223 in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of formal employment?
South Africa ranks 37th out of 59 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of formal employment rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-formal-employment/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of formal employment
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 781 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed