South Africa vs United Kingdom: SDG indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of employees
SDG indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of employees over time
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 21.67 against 20 in South Africa, a difference of 1.67.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 11 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 50th and United Kingdom ranks 47th of 68 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.21 | 11.7 | 6.5 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 35.79 | 14.44 | 21.36 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher sdg indicator 8.5.1: average hourly earnings of employees, South Africa or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 21.67 against 20 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in sdg indicator 8.5.1: average hourly earnings of employees between South Africa and United Kingdom?
- 1.67, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom?
- 11 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2019.
- How do South Africa and United Kingdom rank globally for sdg indicator 8.5.1: average hourly earnings of employees?
- South Africa ranks 50th and United Kingdom ranks 47th of 68 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as SDG indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of employees (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. This indicator presents data by sex on employees' average hourly earnings. The concept of earnings, as applied in wage statistics, relates to gross remuneration in cash and in kind paid to employees, as a rule at regular intervals, for time worked or work done together with remuneration for time not worked, such as annual vacation, other type of paid leave or holidays. Earnings exclude employers' contributions in respect of their employees paid to social security and pension schemes and also the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay. Data are also disaggregated by occupation. Statistics on average hourly earnings by sex are the basis for the calculation of the gender pay gap. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.