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

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of total employment was 0.1946 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.1946
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
40th
of 79 countries
All-time high
0.1946
in 2020
All-time low
0.1519
in 2006
Years of data
19
2000–2020

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

00.050.10.150.22000201020202000: 0.1662001: 0.182003: 0.1822004: 0.1662005: 0.1672006: 0.1522007: 0.1662008: 0.1542009: 0.1632010: 0.1662012: 0.1832013: 0.1852014: 0.1672015: 0.1872016: 0.1842017: 0.1582018: 0.1872019: 0.1852020: 0.195

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2020, public sector employment, as a share of total employment in South Africa stood at 0.1946. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

The figure is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 17.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of total employment in South Africa peaked at 0.1946 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1519, in 2006.

South Africa ranks 40th of 79 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 0.1658
2001 0.1796 +8.3%
2003 0.1819 +1.3%
2004 0.1665 -8.5%
2005 0.1669 +0.2%
2006 0.1519 -9.0%
2007 0.1657 +9.1%
2008 0.1539 -7.1%
2009 0.1625 +5.6%
2010 0.1658 +2.1%
2012 0.1826 +10.1%
2013 0.1847 +1.2%
2014 0.1671 -9.6%
2015 0.1873 +12.1%
2016 0.1844 -1.5%
2017 0.1581 -14.3%
2018 0.1872 +18.4%
2019 0.185 -1.2%
2020 0.1946 +5.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.1661 0.1519 0.1819 9
2010s 0.178 0.1581 0.1873 9
2020s 0.1946 0.1946 0.1946 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 37 Australia 0.2001 compare
  2. 38 Albania 0.1996 compare
  3. 39 Italy 0.1954 compare
  4. 41 Argentina 0.1888 compare
  5. 42 Mauritius 0.1829 compare
  6. 43 Panama 0.1798 compare

See the full ranking of 79 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 total employment in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in South Africa was 0.1946 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of total employment recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.1946 in 2020.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of total employment recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1519 in 2006.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of total employment?
South Africa ranks 40th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of total employment rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.3%. 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 total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of total employment in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-total-employment-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
79 places, 1,004 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed