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

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location was 0.2139 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.2139
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
19th
of 65 countries
All-time high
0.2139
in 2020
All-time low
0.0968
in 2000
Years of data
15
2000–2020

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

00.050.10.150.22000201020202000: 0.0972001: 0.1252003: 0.1222008: 0.1562009: 0.1562010: 0.1642012: 0.1792013: 0.1932014: 0.1992015: 0.2082016: 0.2062017: 0.192018: 0.2122019: 0.2112020: 0.214

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2020, public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location in South Africa stood at 0.2139. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location in South Africa peaked at 0.2139 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0968, in 2000.

That places South Africa 19th out of 65 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 total employment by location in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location: Rural in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 0.0968
2001 0.1253 +29.6%
2003 0.1223 -2.5%
2008 0.1564 +27.9%
2009 0.1559 -0.3%
2010 0.1638 +5.1%
2012 0.1793 +9.5%
2013 0.1926 +7.4%
2014 0.1988 +3.2%
2015 0.2085 +4.9%
2016 0.2063 -1.1%
2017 0.19 -7.9%
2018 0.2118 +11.5%
2019 0.2105 -0.6%
2020 0.2139 +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.1313 0.0968 0.1564 5
2010s 0.1957 0.1638 0.2118 9
2020s 0.2139 0.2139 0.2139 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 16 Austria 0.2261 compare
  2. 17 Lithuania 0.2237 compare
  3. 18 Estonia 0.2192 compare
  4. 20 Cyprus 0.2051 compare
  5. 21 Palestine, State of 0.1987 compare
  6. 22 Slovakia 0.197 compare

See the full ranking of 65 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 by location in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location in South Africa was 0.2139 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.2139 in 2020.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0968 in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location?
South Africa ranks 19th out of 65 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. 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 total employment by location: Rural. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment by location: Rural
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
65 places, 801 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed