Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education in South Africa

South Africa: Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education was -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
-0.5522 compared to formal wage employees
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
53rd
of 54 countries
All-time high
0.5407 compared to formal wage employees
in 2003
All-time low
-0.5522 compared to formal wage employees
in 2019
Years of data
10
2000–2019

Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education in South Africa, 2000–2019

-0.5-0.2500.250.52000200920192000: 0.331 compared to formal wage employees2001: 0.296 compared to formal wage employees2003: 0.541 compared to formal wage employees2010: -0.056 compared to formal wage employees2012: -0.215 compared to formal wage employees2013: -0.267 compared to formal wage employees2015: -0.394 compared to formal wage employees2016: -0.378 compared to formal wage employees2018: -0.536 compared to formal wage employees2019: -0.552 compared to formal wage employees

Source: World Bank. Measured in compared to formal wage employees.

Analysis

In 2019, public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education in South Africa stood at -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and down 890.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education in South Africa peaked at 0.5407 compared to formal wage employees in 2003 and was at its lowest, -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees, in 2019.

South Africa ranks 53rd of 54 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education (compared to formal wage employees) in South Africa, 2000 to 2019.
Year compared to formal wage employees Change
2000 0.3314 compared to formal wage employees
2001 0.2961 compared to formal wage employees -10.7%
2003 0.5407 compared to formal wage employees +82.6%
2010 -0.0557 compared to formal wage employees -110.3%
2012 -0.2147 compared to formal wage employees +285.3%
2013 -0.2673 compared to formal wage employees +24.5%
2015 -0.3941 compared to formal wage employees +47.4%
2016 -0.3779 compared to formal wage employees -4.1%
2018 -0.5359 compared to formal wage employees +41.8%
2019 -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees +3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3894 compared to formal wage employees 0.2961 compared to formal wage employees 0.5407 compared to formal wage employees 3
2010s -0.3425 compared to formal wage employees -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees -0.0557 compared to formal wage employees 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 50 Moldova -0.2776 compared to formal wage employees compare
  2. 51 France -0.3069 compared to formal wage employees compare
  3. 52 Hungary -0.3794 compared to formal wage employees compare
  4. 54 Australia -0.8992 compared to formal wage employees compare

See the full ranking of 54 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education in South Africa?
Public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education in South Africa was -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.5407 compared to formal wage employees in 2003.
What is the lowest public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -0.5522 compared to formal wage employees in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education?
South Africa ranks 53rd out of 54 countries with data for 2019.
Is public sector wage premium, by education level: primary education rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 890.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education (compared to formal wage employees). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-wage-premium-by-education-level-primary-education-compared-to-formal-wage/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector wage premium, by education level: Primary education (compared to formal wage employees)
Unit
compared to formal wage employees
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
54 places, 652 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed