public sector

American  

noun

1. the area of the nation's affairs under governmental rather than private control.

---

public sector British  

noun

1. the part of an economy that consists of state-owned institutions, including nationalized industries and services provided by local authorities Compare private sector

---

public sector Cultural  

1. That part of the economy controlled by the government. (Compare private sector.)

---

Etymology

Origin of public sector

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public sector

Singapore has the largest public sector deployment, called Project Wolbachia which started in 2016 and now releases more than 10 million every week.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Canada’s public sector, which includes education services, health care and social assistance, also continued to expand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Businesses, public sector organisations and charities can continue to use a hosepipe where it is directly needed for their commercial activities, this includes professional cleaners and car washing services.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Along with downtown residents, the project has triggered opposition from the powerful Service Employee International Union, Local 721, which represents more than 100,000 public sector employees in Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Glorioso Islands   no economic activity Greece   Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the public sector   accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP 70% of the   leading euro-zone economies.

From The 2004 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency