Inside South Africa’s R87 billion private security industry and its 382,670 workers

South Africa’s private security industry employed 382,670 people in 2024 and generated almost R87 billion in income, according to Statistics South Africa’s Business Services Industry report for the financial cycle up to 2024. The data show the sector is one of the largest employers within the broader business services economy.

Who works in private security

The report found the industry is overwhelmingly full-time: 379,483 of the 382,670 workers were employed full-time, with 3,187 part-time roles. The workforce was majority male, comprising 287,357 men and 95,313 women. Large companies employed 178,378 people, while small, medium and micro enterprises together accounted for more than 204,000 jobs.

Where the income comes from

Investigation and security activities generated almost R87 billion in income in 2024, a rise from R67.6 billion in 2020. The largest revenue source was guarding and watchman services (R34.8 billion), which accounted for 43% of industry revenue. Other sub-sectors included:

• Monitoring and surveillance: R17.9 billion
• Cash-in-transit operations: R14.4 billion
• Armed reaction and mobile patrols: R14.3 billion
• Access control services: R7.6 billion

Who pays for security

Businesses were the largest customers, spending R66.3 billion on investigation and security services in 2024. Households accounted for R11.6 billion in spending, while government departments and public entities spent just over R7 billion.

Employment and pay

Investigation and security activities now make up 18.9% of employment in the business services sector, while contributing 4.7% of the sector’s income, highlighting the labour-intensive nature of the industry. The average annual salary and wage in the sector was R110,834 in 2024, compared with a business services sector average of R241,722.

Growth, assets and the crime context

Employment in investigation and security activities rose from 232,351 in 2016 to 382,670 in 2024 a 65% increase since 2016 and 23% growth between 2020 and 2024. Security companies purchased R3.2 billion of new assets during the year.

The industry’s expansion took place while some recorded crime categories improved: police statistics showed residential burglary fell 8.7% year-on-year and robbery at residential premises dropped 18.3%. Statistics South Africa’s Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey noted that housebreaking remained the most commonly experienced household crime and that many crimes go unreported factors that affect perceptions of safety and demand for private security.

Position within the wider economy

The wider business services economy employed just over two million people in 2024 and generated R1.84 trillion in income. Within that sector, investigation and security activities now account for nearly one in five jobs, ahead of other business services sub-sectors.

The Statistics South Africa Business Services Industry report frames private security as a significant employer and a major component of day-to-day life for many South Africans, with spending patterns shaped by both recorded crime trends and public perceptions of safety.