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 0.1651 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.1651
Change on year
up 9.5%
World rank
28th
of 63 countries
All-time high
0.1651
in 2020
All-time low
0.0877
in 2008
Years of data
15
2000–2020

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

00.050.10.152000201020202000: 0.1362001: 0.1252003: 0.12008: 0.0882009: 0.092010: 0.0982012: 0.1112013: 0.1262014: 0.142015: 0.1532016: 0.1532017: 0.1342018: 0.1592019: 0.1512020: 0.165

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2020, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by in South Africa stood at 0.1651. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.5% on the previous year and up 68.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by in South Africa peaked at 0.1651 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0877, in 2008.

South Africa ranks 28th of 63 countries on this measure, 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 in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by occupational group: Elementary workers in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 0.1365
2001 0.1254 -8.1%
2003 0.0999 -20.3%
2008 0.0877 -12.2%
2009 0.09 +2.6%
2010 0.0978 +8.7%
2012 0.111 +13.5%
2013 0.1256 +13.2%
2014 0.14 +11.5%
2015 0.1532 +9.4%
2016 0.1534 +0.1%
2017 0.1337 -12.8%
2018 0.1594 +19.2%
2019 0.1508 -5.4%
2020 0.1651 +9.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.1079 0.0877 0.1365 5
2010s 0.1361 0.0978 0.1594 9
2020s 0.1651 0.1651 0.1651 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 25 Dominican Republic 0.1772 compare
  2. 26 Latvia 0.1759 compare
  3. 27 Portugal 0.1737 compare
  4. 29 Czechia 0.1651 compare
  5. 30 Estonia 0.1638 compare
  6. 31 Tunisia 0.1636 compare

See the full ranking of 63 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 0.1651 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 0.1651 in 2020.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0877 in 2008.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by?
South Africa ranks 28th out of 63 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 68.8%. 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 Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by occupational group: Elementary workers. 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 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-paid-employment-by-occupational-group-elementary/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of paid employment, by occupational group: Elementary workers
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
63 places, 742 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed