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

South Africa: Public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by was 0.439 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.439
Change on year
down 10.2%
World rank
47th
of 64 countries
All-time high
0.5456
in 2001
All-time low
0.3083
in 2014
Years of data
15
2000–2020

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

00.20.40.62000201020202000: 0.4912001: 0.5462003: 0.4922008: 0.3192009: 0.3322010: 0.3142012: 0.3252013: 0.332014: 0.3082015: 0.4612016: 0.4922017: 0.4452018: 0.4682019: 0.4892020: 0.439

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2020, public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by in South Africa stood at 0.439.

That represents a change of down 10.2% on the previous year and up 39.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by in South Africa peaked at 0.5456 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.3083, in 2014.

South Africa ranks 47th of 64 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by occupational group: Professionals in South Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 0.4914
2001 0.5456 +11.0%
2003 0.4918 -9.9%
2008 0.3191 -35.1%
2009 0.3322 +4.1%
2010 0.3143 -5.4%
2012 0.3254 +3.5%
2013 0.3303 +1.5%
2014 0.3083 -6.7%
2015 0.4605 +49.4%
2016 0.4916 +6.7%
2017 0.4446 -9.6%
2018 0.4678 +5.2%
2019 0.489 +4.5%
2020 0.439 -10.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.436 0.3191 0.5456 5
2010s 0.4035 0.3083 0.4916 9
2020s 0.439 0.439 0.439 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 44 Jordan 0.4506 compare
  2. 45 Estonia 0.4459 compare
  3. 46 Cyprus 0.4445 compare
  4. 48 Mexico 0.4363 compare
  5. 49 Argentina 0.4328 compare
  6. 50 Honduras 0.4288 compare

See the full ranking of 64 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 in South Africa?
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by in South Africa was 0.439 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.5456 in 2001.
What is the lowest public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3083 in 2014.
How does South Africa rank for public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by?
South Africa ranks 47th out of 64 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 occupational group: Professionals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-total-employment-by-occupational-group/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment, as a share of total employment, by occupational group: Professionals
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
64 places, 755 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed