Compensation of employees in South Africa

South Africa: Compensation of employees was 335.09 billion current LCU in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
335.09 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
49th
of 156 countries
All-time high
335.09 billion current LCU
in 2024
All-time low
724.00 million current LCU
in 1972
Years of data
51
1972–2024

Compensation of employees in South Africa, 1972–2024

0100.0B200.0B300.0B197219982024

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

In 2024, compensation of employees in South Africa stood at 335.09 billion current LCU. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 80.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in South Africa peaked at 335.09 billion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 724.00 million current LCU, in 1972.

South Africa ranks 49th of 156 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Compensation of employees in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (current LCU) in South Africa, 1972 to 2024.
Year current LCU Change
1972 724.00 million current LCU
1973 842.00 million current LCU +16.3%
1974 1.10 billion current LCU +30.6%
1975 1.31 billion current LCU +19.5%
1976 1.53 billion current LCU +16.3%
1977 1.72 billion current LCU +12.5%
1978 2.00 billion current LCU +16.0%
1979 2.39 billion current LCU +19.5%
1980 3.05 billion current LCU +27.6%
1981 3.83 billion current LCU +25.9%
1982 5.08 billion current LCU +32.4%
1983 5.84 billion current LCU +15.0%
1984 7.68 billion current LCU +31.5%
1985 8.56 billion current LCU +11.5%
1988 15.98 billion current LCU +86.6%
1989 19.41 billion current LCU +21.5%
1990 23.58 billion current LCU +21.5%
1991 28.30 billion current LCU +20.0%
1992 52.97 billion current LCU +87.2%
1993 60.31 billion current LCU +13.9%
1994 42.59 billion current LCU -29.4%
1995 25.37 billion current LCU -40.4%
1996 31.15 billion current LCU +22.8%
1997 33.78 billion current LCU +8.5%
1998 36.35 billion current LCU +7.6%
1999 37.92 billion current LCU +4.3%
2000 40.04 billion current LCU +5.6%
2001 44.49 billion current LCU +11.1%
2002 48.40 billion current LCU +8.8%
2003 53.92 billion current LCU +11.4%
2004 60.21 billion current LCU +11.7%
2005 67.29 billion current LCU +11.8%
2006 73.41 billion current LCU +9.1%
2007 84.29 billion current LCU +14.8%
2008 94.94 billion current LCU +12.6%
2009 107.84 billion current LCU +13.6%
2010 128.26 billion current LCU +18.9%
2011 138.26 billion current LCU +7.8%
2012 153.76 billion current LCU +11.2%
2013 171.53 billion current LCU +11.6%
2014 185.49 billion current LCU +8.1%
2015 209.69 billion current LCU +13.0%
2016 228.56 billion current LCU +9.0%
2017 247.75 billion current LCU +8.4%
2018 261.29 billion current LCU +5.5%
2019 276.49 billion current LCU +5.8%
2020 278.23 billion current LCU +0.6%
2021 292.68 billion current LCU +5.2%
2022 315.86 billion current LCU +7.9%
2023 328.53 billion current LCU +4.0%
2024 335.09 billion current LCU +2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.45 billion current LCU 724.00 million current LCU 2.39 billion current LCU 8
1980s 8.68 billion current LCU 3.05 billion current LCU 19.41 billion current LCU 8
1990s 37.23 billion current LCU 23.58 billion current LCU 60.31 billion current LCU 10
2000s 67.48 billion current LCU 40.04 billion current LCU 107.84 billion current LCU 10
2010s 200.11 billion current LCU 128.26 billion current LCU 276.49 billion current LCU 10
2020s 310.08 billion current LCU 278.23 billion current LCU 335.09 billion current LCU 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 46 Rwanda 441.90 billion current LCU compare
  2. 47 Armenia 428.74 billion current LCU compare
  3. 48 Congo 343.51 billion current LCU compare
  4. 50 Iceland 334.27 billion current LCU compare
  5. 51 Czechia 326.16 billion current LCU compare
  6. 52 Togo 299.32 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 156 places →

More public sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in South Africa?
Compensation of employees in South Africa was 335.09 billion current LCU in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 335.09 billion current LCU in 2024.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 724.00 million current LCU in 1972.
How does South Africa rank for compensation of employees?
South Africa ranks 49th out of 156 countries with data for 2024.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 80.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Compensation of employees (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Compensation of employees in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-current-lcu/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Compensation of employees (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
156 places, 4,496 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Compensation of employees is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an enterprise to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.