Australia vs South Africa: Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Australia
20.0%
in 2015
South Africa
19.5%
in 2020
Australia rank
37th
South Africa rank
40th
Public sector employment as a share of total employment over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
Australia currently reports 20.0% against 19.5% in South Africa, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 13 years both countries report, Australia has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 40th of 79 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25.9% | 16.6% | 9.3% | Australia |
| 2010s | 22.0% | 17.7% | 4.2% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public sector employment as a share of total employment, Australia or South Africa?
- Australia, at 20.0% against 19.5% in South Africa as of 2015.
- What is the difference in public sector employment as a share of total employment between Australia and South Africa?
- 0.5%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2015.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Australia ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 40th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.