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

South Africa: Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total was 0.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.8%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
39th
of 92 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, total in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.60.811995200720201995: 1 % of total workers in the service sector2000: 0.977 % of total workers in the service sector2001: 0.971 % of total workers in the service sector2002: 0.987 % of total workers in the service sector2003: 0.989 % of total workers in the service sector2004: 0.991 % of total workers in the service sector2006: 0.99 % of total workers in the service sector2007: 0.829 % of total workers in the service sector2008: 0.832 % of total workers in the service sector2009: 0.836 % of total workers in the service sector2010: 0.839 % of total workers in the service sector2011: 0.839 % of total workers in the service sector2012: 0.844 % of total workers in the service sector2013: 0.849 % of total workers in the service sector2014: 0.86 % of total workers in the service sector2015: 0.849 % of total workers in the service sector2016: 0.848 % of total workers in the service sector2017: 0.846 % of total workers in the service sector2018: 0.843 % of total workers in the service sector2019: 0.835 % of total workers in the service sector2020: 0.838 % of total workers in the service sector

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.8% for wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total in 2020.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.

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

South Africa ranks 39th of 92 countries on this measure, 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, total in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total (% of total workers in the service sector) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of total workers in the service sector Change
1995 1.0%
2000 1.0% -2.3%
2001 1.0% -0.6%
2002 1.0% +1.6%
2003 1.0% +0.2%
2004 1.0% +0.3%
2006 1.0% -0.1%
2007 0.8% -16.2%
2008 0.8% +0.3%
2009 0.8% +0.5%
2010 0.8% +0.3%
2011 0.8% +0.0%
2012 0.8% +0.5%
2013 0.8% +0.7%
2014 0.9% +1.3%
2015 0.8% -1.2%
2016 0.8% -0.2%
2017 0.8% -0.2%
2018 0.8% -0.4%
2019 0.8% -0.9%
2020 0.8% +0.4%

Averages by decade

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

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 36 Netherlands 0.8% compare
  2. 37 Slovakia 0.8% compare
  3. 38 Spain 0.8% compare
  4. 40 Czechia 0.8% compare
  5. 41 Armenia 0.8% compare
  6. 42 Türkiye 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 92 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, total in South Africa?
Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total in South Africa was 0.8% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1995.
What is the lowest wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total 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, total?
South Africa ranks 39th out of 92 countries with data for 2020.
Is wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. 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, total (% of total workers in the service sector). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-employment-in-services-aged-15-64-total-percent-of-total-workers-in-the-service/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage employment in services, aged 15-64, total (% of total workers in the service sector)
Unit
% of total workers in the service sector
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
92 places, 1,346 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed