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

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender was 0.2869 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.2869
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
45th
of 69 countries
All-time high
0.2869
in 2020
All-time low
0.2171
in 2008
Years of data
15
2000–2020

Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender in South Africa, 2000–2020

00.10.20.32000201020202000: 0.2592001: 0.2542003: 0.2472008: 0.2172009: 0.2242010: 0.2332012: 0.2552013: 0.2582014: 0.2462015: 0.2662016: 0.2712017: 0.2412018: 0.2752019: 0.2792020: 0.287

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender in South Africa is 0.2869, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender in South Africa peaked at 0.2869 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.2171, in 2008.

That places South Africa 45th out of 69 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender: Female in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 0.2587
2001 0.2537 -1.9%
2003 0.2474 -2.5%
2008 0.2171 -12.2%
2009 0.2236 +3.0%
2010 0.233 +4.2%
2012 0.2548 +9.4%
2013 0.2584 +1.4%
2014 0.2463 -4.7%
2015 0.266 +8.0%
2016 0.2705 +1.7%
2017 0.2413 -10.8%
2018 0.2747 +13.9%
2019 0.2786 +1.4%
2020 0.2869 +3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.2401 0.2171 0.2587 5
2010s 0.2582 0.233 0.2786 9
2020s 0.2869 0.2869 0.2869 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 42 Cameroon 0.3009 compare
  2. 43 Pakistan 0.2879 compare
  3. 44 Mexico 0.2875 compare
  4. 46 Namibia 0.2861 compare
  5. 47 Jordan 0.2795 compare
  6. 48 Cyprus 0.2794 compare

See the full ranking of 69 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 paid employment by gender in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender in South Africa was 0.2869 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.2869 in 2020.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2171 in 2008.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender?
South Africa ranks 45th out of 69 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. 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 paid employment by gender: Female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-paid-employment-by-gender-female/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment by gender: Female
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
69 places, 856 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed