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

South Africa: Public sector wage premium, by education level: Secondary education was -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
-0.2251 compared to formal wage employees
Change on year
down 28.6%
World rank
51st
of 54 countries
All-time high
0.6104 compared to formal wage employees
in 2003
All-time low
-0.2251 compared to formal wage employees
in 2019
Years of data
10
2000–2019

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

-0.200.20.40.62000200920192000: 0.354 compared to formal wage employees2001: 0.347 compared to formal wage employees2003: 0.61 compared to formal wage employees2010: 0.218 compared to formal wage employees2012: 0.174 compared to formal wage employees2013: 0.037 compared to formal wage employees2015: -0.072 compared to formal wage employees2016: -0.124 compared to formal wage employees2018: -0.175 compared to formal wage employees2019: -0.225 compared to formal wage employees

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees for public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.6% on the previous year and down 203.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education in South Africa peaked at 0.6104 compared to formal wage employees in 2003 and was at its lowest, -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees, in 2019.

That places South Africa 51st out of 54 countries with data for 2019, putting it 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: Secondary education in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Public sector wage premium, by education level: Secondary education (compared to formal wage employees) in South Africa, 2000 to 2019.
Year compared to formal wage employees Change
2000 0.3537 compared to formal wage employees
2001 0.3465 compared to formal wage employees -2.0%
2003 0.6104 compared to formal wage employees +76.1%
2010 0.2179 compared to formal wage employees -64.3%
2012 0.1737 compared to formal wage employees -20.3%
2013 0.0366 compared to formal wage employees -78.9%
2015 -0.0719 compared to formal wage employees -296.5%
2016 -0.124 compared to formal wage employees +72.5%
2018 -0.1751 compared to formal wage employees +41.2%
2019 -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees +28.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.4369 compared to formal wage employees 0.3465 compared to formal wage employees 0.6104 compared to formal wage employees 3
2010s -0.024 compared to formal wage employees -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees 0.2179 compared to formal wage employees 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 48 Paraguay -0.1358 compared to formal wage employees compare
  2. 49 France -0.1532 compared to formal wage employees compare
  3. 50 Hungary -0.1577 compared to formal wage employees compare
  4. 52 Moldova -0.2644 compared to formal wage employees compare
  5. 53 Russia -0.3894 compared to formal wage employees compare
  6. 54 Armenia -0.4608 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: secondary education in South Africa?
Public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education in South Africa was -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.6104 compared to formal wage employees in 2003.
What is the lowest public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -0.2251 compared to formal wage employees in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education?
South Africa ranks 51st out of 54 countries with data for 2019.
Is public sector wage premium, by education level: secondary education rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 203.3%. 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: Secondary 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: Secondary education in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-wage-premium-by-education-level-secondary-education-compared-to-formal-wage/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector wage premium, by education level: Secondary 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, 657 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed