Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa

South Africa: Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.9%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
38th
of 90 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 1995
All-time low
0.8%
in 2007
Years of data
21
1995–2020

Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.60.811995200720201995: 1 % of female workers in the service sector2000: 0.975 % of female workers in the service sector2001: 0.966 % of female workers in the service sector2002: 0.985 % of female workers in the service sector2003: 0.986 % of female workers in the service sector2004: 0.99 % of female workers in the service sector2006: 0.988 % of female workers in the service sector2007: 0.834 % of female workers in the service sector2008: 0.839 % of female workers in the service sector2009: 0.851 % of female workers in the service sector2010: 0.854 % of female workers in the service sector2011: 0.861 % of female workers in the service sector2012: 0.867 % of female workers in the service sector2013: 0.873 % of female workers in the service sector2014: 0.885 % of female workers in the service sector2015: 0.877 % of female workers in the service sector2016: 0.876 % of female workers in the service sector2017: 0.873 % of female workers in the service sector2018: 0.875 % of female workers in the service sector2019: 0.865 % of female workers in the service sector2020: 0.869 % of female workers in the service sector

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of female workers in the service sector.

Analysis

The most recent figure for wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa is 0.9%, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa peaked at 1.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2007.

That places South Africa 38th out of 90 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female (% of female workers in the service sector) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of female workers in the service sector Change
1995 1.0%
2000 1.0% -2.5%
2001 1.0% -0.9%
2002 1.0% +1.9%
2003 1.0% +0.1%
2004 1.0% +0.3%
2006 1.0% -0.2%
2007 0.8% -15.6%
2008 0.8% +0.7%
2009 0.9% +1.5%
2010 0.9% +0.3%
2011 0.9% +0.8%
2012 0.9% +0.7%
2013 0.9% +0.7%
2014 0.9% +1.4%
2015 0.9% -1.0%
2016 0.9% -0.0%
2017 0.9% -0.4%
2018 0.9% +0.3%
2019 0.9% -1.1%
2020 0.9% +0.4%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8%, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4%, 2.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
2000s 0.9% 0.8% 1.0% 9
2010s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 10
2020s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Netherlands 0.9% compare
  2. 36 Slovakia 0.9% compare
  3. 37 Belgium 0.9% compare
  4. 39 Czechia 0.9% compare
  5. 40 Kosovo 0.9% compare
  6. 40 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 0.9% compare

See the full ranking of 90 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa?
Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa was 0.9% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1995.
What is the lowest wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2007.
How does South Africa rank for wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 90 countries with data for 2020.
Is wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. 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 Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female (% of female workers in the service sector). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-employment-in-services-aged-15-64-female-percent-of-female-workers-in-the-service/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, female (% of female workers in the service sector)
Unit
% of female workers in the service sector
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
90 places, 1,259 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed