Public sector wage premium in South Africa

South Africa: Public sector wage premium was -0.0924 compared to all private employees in 2019. β—† Volatile

Latest (2019)
-0.0924 compared to all private employees
Change on year
down 371.1%
World rank
55th
of 60 countries
All-time high
0.7448 compared to all private employees
in 2003
All-time low
-0.0924 compared to all private employees
in 2019
Years of data
10
2000–2019

Public sector wage premium in South Africa, 2000–2019

00.20.40.60.82000200920192000: 0.536 compared to all private employees2001: 0.574 compared to all private employees2003: 0.745 compared to all private employees2010: 0.331 compared to all private employees2012: 0.278 compared to all private employees2013: 0.154 compared to all private employees2015: 0.021 compared to all private employees2016: 0.03 compared to all private employees2018: -0.02 compared to all private employees2019: -0.092 compared to all private employees

Source: World Bank. Measured in compared to all private employees.

Analysis

In 2019, public sector wage premium in South Africa stood at -0.0924 compared to all private employees. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of down 371.1% on the previous year and down 127.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector wage premium in South Africa peaked at 0.7448 compared to all private employees in 2003 and was at its lowest, -0.0924 compared to all private employees, in 2019.

That places South Africa 55th out of 60 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.6183 compared to all private employees 0.5358 compared to all private employees 0.7448 compared to all private employees 3
2010s 0.1003 compared to all private employees -0.0924 compared to all private employees 0.331 compared to all private employees 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 52 Finland -0.0628 compared to all private employees compare
  2. 53 Russia -0.0739 compared to all private employees compare
  3. 54 Iceland -0.0815 compared to all private employees compare
  4. 56 Hungary -0.093 compared to all private employees compare
  5. 57 Mongolia -0.1144 compared to all private employees compare
  6. 58 France -0.1499 compared to all private employees compare

See the full ranking of 60 places β†’

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector wage premium in South Africa?
Public sector wage premium in South Africa was -0.0924 compared to all private employees in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector wage premium recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.7448 compared to all private employees in 2003.
What is the lowest public sector wage premium recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -0.0924 compared to all private employees in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for public sector wage premium?
South Africa ranks 55th out of 60 countries with data for 2019.
Is public sector wage premium rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 127.9%. 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 (compared to all private employees). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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Public sector wage premium in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-wage-premium-compared-to-all-private-employees/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector wage premium (compared to all private employees)
Unit
compared to all private employees
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
60 places, 738 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed