Gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa

South Africa: Gini index of hourly earnings of employees was 0.685 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
0.685
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
2nd
of 55 countries
All-time high
0.685
in 2015
All-time low
0.538
in 2004
Years of data
14
2000–2015

Gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa, 2000–2015

00.20.40.62000200720152000: 0.5742001: 0.5482002: 0.5472003: 0.5412004: 0.5382005: 0.5442006: 0.5452007: 0.5492010: 0.5782011: 0.5762012: 0.6022013: 0.6732014: 0.6492015: 0.685

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa is 0.685, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.

The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 25.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa peaked at 0.685 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.538, in 2004.

South Africa ranks 2nd of 55 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Gini index of hourly earnings of employees (15+) in South Africa, 2000 to 2015.
Year Value Change
2000 0.574
2001 0.548 -4.5%
2002 0.547 -0.2%
2003 0.541 -1.1%
2004 0.538 -0.6%
2005 0.544 +1.1%
2006 0.545 +0.2%
2007 0.549 +0.7%
2010 0.578 +5.3%
2011 0.576 -0.3%
2012 0.602 +4.5%
2013 0.673 +11.8%
2014 0.649 -3.6%
2015 0.685 +5.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.685 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3765, 1.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.685 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.602, 1.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.5483 0.538 0.574 8
2010s 0.6272 0.576 0.685 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Uganda 0.731 compare
  2. 3 Namibia 0.657
  3. 4 Botswana 0.636
  4. 5 Mali 0.608

See the full ranking of 55 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa?
Gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa was 0.685 in 2015, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest gini index of hourly earnings of employees recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.685 in 2015.
What is the lowest gini index of hourly earnings of employees recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.538 in 2004.
How does South Africa rank for gini index of hourly earnings of employees?
South Africa ranks 2nd out of 55 countries with data for 2015.
Is gini index of hourly earnings of employees rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Gini index of hourly earnings of employees (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Gini index of hourly earnings of employees in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/gini-index-of-hourly-earnings-of-employees-15/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Gini index of hourly earnings of employees (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
55 places, 820 data points, 1990–2026
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. The Gini index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of earnings among employees. It ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates perfect equality (all employees have the same earnings) and higher values indicate greater inequality. The index is calculated from the distribution of employees earnings. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.