Costa Rica vs South Africa: Public employment

Costa Rica
2,095
in 2023
South Africa
1,976
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
31st
South Africa rank
32nd

Public employment over time

  • Costa Rica
  • South Africa
05001.0k1.5k2.0k201020172024

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 2,095 against 1,976 in South Africa, a difference of 119.

That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 6 shared years of data; in 2018 it was Costa Rica ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 31st and South Africa ranks 32nd of 47 countries.

Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica South Africa Difference Ahead
2010s 2,146 1,848 298.19 Costa Rica
2020s 2,057 1,984 72.54 Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public employment, Costa Rica or South Africa?
Costa Rica, at 2,095 against 1,976 in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in public employment between Costa Rica and South Africa?
119, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
6 years are reported by both, from 2018 to 2023.
How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for public employment?
Costa Rica ranks 31st and South Africa ranks 32nd of 47 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Labour Organization, published as Public employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs South Africa: Public employment. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/public-employment/costa-rica/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Public employment
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
47 places, 681 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The total public sector employment covers all employment of general government sector as defined in System of National Accounts 1993 plus employment of publicly owned enterprises and companies, resident and operating at central, state (or regional) and local levels of government. It covers all persons employed directly by those institutions, without regard for the particular type of employment contract. See the working paper: Statistics on Public Sector Employment: Methodology, Structures and Trends. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.