Italy vs South Africa: Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Italy
19.5%
in 2020
South Africa
19.5%
in 2020
Italy rank
39th
South Africa rank
40th
Public sector employment as a share of total employment over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
Italy currently reports 19.5% against 19.5% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 13 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 40th of 79 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.6% | 16.1% | 5.5% | Italy |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 17.8% | 1.3% | Italy |
| 2020s | 19.5% | 19.5% | 0.1% | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public sector employment as a share of total employment, Italy or South Africa?
- Italy, at 19.5% against 19.5% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in public sector employment as a share of total employment between Italy and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2020.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Italy ranks 39th 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.