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

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by was 0.8437 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.8437
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
10th
of 28 countries
All-time high
0.8528
in 2019
All-time low
0.6204
in 2013
Years of data
12
2008–2020

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

00.20.40.60.82008201420202008: 0.672009: 0.6912010: 0.6322012: 0.6972013: 0.622014: 0.6582015: 0.8042016: 0.8442017: 0.8082018: 0.8522019: 0.8532020: 0.844

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2020, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by in South Africa stood at 0.8437.

The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 33.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by in South Africa peaked at 0.8528 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.6204, in 2013.

That places South Africa 10th out of 28 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 paid employment, by in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by occupation: Teachers in South Africa, 2008 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2008 0.67
2009 0.6908 +3.1%
2010 0.6321 -8.5%
2012 0.6965 +10.2%
2013 0.6204 -10.9%
2014 0.6584 +6.1%
2015 0.8036 +22.1%
2016 0.8444 +5.1%
2017 0.8079 -4.3%
2018 0.8524 +5.5%
2019 0.8528 +0.1%
2020 0.8437 -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.6804 0.67 0.6908 2
2010s 0.7521 0.6204 0.8528 9
2020s 0.8437 0.8437 0.8437 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 7 Viet Nam 0.871 compare
  2. 8 Mongolia 0.8585 compare
  3. 9 Georgia 0.8487 compare
  4. 11 Paraguay 0.8252
  5. 12 Zambia 0.8152 compare
  6. 13 Costa Rica 0.8081 compare

See the full ranking of 28 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 in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by in South Africa was 0.8437 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.8528 in 2019.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6204 in 2013.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by?
South Africa ranks 10th out of 28 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.5%. 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 occupation: Teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by occupation: Teachers
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
28 places, 301 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed