NAAG Chapter 6: Government — Compensation of employees by general in South Africa
South Africa: NAAG Chapter 6: Government — Compensation of employees by general was 13.12 Percentage of GDP in 2025. ▲ Rising
NAAG Chapter 6: Government — Compensation of employees by general in South Africa, 1995–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general in South Africa stood at 13.12 Percentage of GDP.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general in South Africa peaked at 14.8 Percentage of GDP in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.79 Percentage of GDP, in 2007.
South Africa ranks 5th of 33 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
NAAG Chapter 6: Government — Compensation of employees by general in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 11.87 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1996 | 12.59 Percentage of GDP | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 12.7 Percentage of GDP | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 12.55 Percentage of GDP | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 12.09 Percentage of GDP | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 11.29 Percentage of GDP | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 10.84 Percentage of GDP | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 10.26 Percentage of GDP | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 10.4 Percentage of GDP | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 10.34 Percentage of GDP | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 10.04 Percentage of GDP | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 9.87 Percentage of GDP | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 9.79 Percentage of GDP | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 10.38 Percentage of GDP | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 11.45 Percentage of GDP | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 12.14 Percentage of GDP | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 12.42 Percentage of GDP | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 12.54 Percentage of GDP | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 12.75 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 13.05 Percentage of GDP | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 13.18 Percentage of GDP | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 13.31 Percentage of GDP | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 13.45 Percentage of GDP | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 13.62 Percentage of GDP | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 13.89 Percentage of GDP | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 14.8 Percentage of GDP | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 13.47 Percentage of GDP | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 12.97 Percentage of GDP | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 12.98 Percentage of GDP | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 13.2 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 13.12 Percentage of GDP | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.36 Percentage of GDP | 11.87 Percentage of GDP | 12.7 Percentage of GDP | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.47 Percentage of GDP | 9.79 Percentage of GDP | 11.45 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.04 Percentage of GDP | 12.14 Percentage of GDP | 13.89 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.42 Percentage of GDP | 12.97 Percentage of GDP | 14.8 Percentage of GDP | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 2 Denmark 14.18 Percentage of GDP compare
- 2 Slovenia 12.46 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Finland 13.53 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Estonia 12.3 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 Lithuania 12.1 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 Norway 13.37 Percentage of GDP compare
- 5 Poland 12.01 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Canada 12.65 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Belgium 12.5 Percentage of GDP compare
- 8 France 12.37 Percentage of GDP compare
- 8 Netherlands 8.88 Percentage of GDP compare
More public sector data for South Africa
- Arms imports 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4746 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 44.31 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0071 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 2.84 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 24.73 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general in South Africa?
- Naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general in South Africa was 13.12 Percentage of GDP in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.8 Percentage of GDP in 2020.
- What is the lowest naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.79 Percentage of GDP in 2007.
- How does South Africa rank for naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general?
- South Africa ranks 5th out of 33 countries with data for 2025.
- Is naag chapter 6: government — compensation of employees by general rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of NAAG Chapter 6: Government — Compensation of employees by general government. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The National Accounts at a Glance (NAAG) is based on the original publication and has nine chapters: The first chapter focuses on indicators of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The second is about income and related indicators and presents measures of net national income, savings and net lending/net borrowing. The third chapter looks at the expenditure approach to GDP, with information on the key components of demand and imports. The fourth chapter presents indicators from a production perspective. The fifth chapter looks at household sector indicators such as household disposable income, saving and net worth. The sixth chapter focuses on general government, presenting indicators such as general government revenue, expenditure and gross debt. The seventh chapter looks at financial and non-financial corporations. The eighth chapter presents indicators of capital stock and depreciation. Finally, chapter 9 provides reference indicators, important in their own right but also because they are used in the construction of many of the indicators presented elsewhere in NAAG.