South Africa's wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 80.6% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 2.82 percentage points from 83.42% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 80.6% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 80.54% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 83.42% | 2015 |
| Highest | 84.46% | 2000 |
| Lowest | 80.11% | 2022 |
| Average since 2016 | 81.2% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 83.85% | 1991 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, South Africa's wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.02 percentage points on 2024 (from 80.62% to 80.6%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.83 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.08 percentage points in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.23 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 55% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, South Africa had the 50th highest value of the 182 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 80.6% | 2025 |
| World | 52.96% | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 27.05% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 60.74% | 2025 |
Closest to South Africa in the 2025 ranking
- Ireland — 46th of 182: 81.72%
- Switzerland — 47th of 182: 81.53%
- Czechia — 48th of 182: 80.71%
- Australia — 50th of 182: 80.47%
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 51st of 182: 80.39%
- North Macedonia — 52nd of 182: 79.63%
What this measures
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.
Limitations: Data are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. Due to differences in definitions and coverage across countries, there are limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Estimates of women in employment are not comparable internationally, reflecting that demographic, social, legal, and cultural trends and norms determine whether women's activities are regarded as economic.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 35 values
| Year | Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 80.6 |
| 2024 | 80.62 |
| 2023 | 81.55 |
| 2022 | 80.11 |
| 2021 | 80.19 |
| 2020 | 80.54 |
| 2019 | 81.23 |
| 2018 | 81.99 |
| 2017 | 82.53 |
| 2016 | 82.7 |
Wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in nearby economies
- Angola — 33.54% (2025)
- Benin — 24.44% (2025)
- Botswana — 71.91% (2025)
- Burkina Faso — 22.84% (2025)
- Burundi — 21.29% (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 68.39% (2025)
- Cameroon — 37.54% (2025)
- Central African Republic — 17.31% (2025)
More social protection & labor data for South Africa
- Net migration — 146,370 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 1,319 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 24.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 29.12% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 26.83% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 55.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 65.95% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)?
- 80.6% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1991?
- It is down 3.25 percentage points from 83.85% in 1991. The highest value was 84.46% in 2000 and the lowest 80.11% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 50th highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in wage and salaried workers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) unusual for South Africa?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.WORK.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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