Pay compression ratio in private sector (ratio of 90th/10th percentile earners) by country
Countries reporting
60
Highest
25.0%
Namibia
Lowest
2.7%
Jordan
Median
5.3%
Years covered
22
2000–2021
Data points
741
What the numbers show
Pay compression ratio in private sector (ratio of 90th/10th percentile earners) is currently reported for 60 countries. The highest value is 25.0% in Namibia; the lowest is 2.7% in Jordan.
The median across all reporting countries is 5.3%, and the mean is 6.2%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 9.
Over the past decade 21 countries rose and 39 fell. The largest increase was in Palestine, State of (up 62.5%), and the largest decrease in Jordan (down 66.7%).
Pay compression ratio in private sector: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 25.0% | 2015 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 2 | South Africa | 17.5% | 2019 | up 34.4% | rising |
| 3 | Australia | 12.0% | 2015 | down 4.0% | falling |
| 4 | Georgia | 10.2% | 2013 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 5 | Zambia | 10.0% | 2014 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 5 | Honduras | 10.0% | 2019 | up 35.1% | rising |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 10.0% | 2016 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 8 | Spain | 8.6% | 2018 | up 21.5% | rising |
| 9 | Palestine, State of | 8.3% | 2017 | up 62.5% | rising |
| 10 | Republic of Moldova | 8.3% | 2012 | up 56.0% | rising |
| 11 | Switzerland | 8.0% | 2018 | down 16.8% | falling |
| 12 | Ireland | 7.8% | 2017 | down 21.2% | flat |
| 13 | Argentina | 7.6% | 2021 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 14 | Costa Rica | 7.2% | 2021 | up 22.1% | rising |
| 15 | Austria | 7.2% | 2018 | down 14.0% | flat |
| 16 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 7.2% | 2016 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 17 | Cyprus | 7.0% | 2018 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 18 | Bulgaria | 6.9% | 2018 | up 40.3% | rising |
| 19 | Panama | 6.9% | 2021 | up 19.5% | falling |
| 20 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 6.7% | 2020 | down 46.3% | falling |
| 21 | Guatemala | 6.5% | 2017 | down 0.6% | falling |
| 22 | Lithuania | 6.4% | 2018 | up 28.3% | falling |
| 23 | Luxembourg | 6.3% | 2018 | up 5.7% | falling |
| 24 | Dominican Republic | 6.3% | 2019 | up 7.8% | flat |
| 25 | Estonia | 6.2% | 2018 | up 28.0% | rising |
| 26 | Italy | 6.0% | 2018 | up 41.5% | rising |
| 27 | Peru | 5.9% | 2021 | down 13.0% | falling |
| 28 | Iceland | 5.7% | 2013 | down 25.8% | falling |
| 29 | Uruguay | 5.6% | 2017 | down 33.4% | falling |
| 30 | Philippines | 5.5% | 2014 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 31 | France | 5.2% | 2018 | up 24.5% | falling |
| 32 | Latvia | 5.2% | 2018 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 33 | Brazil | 5.2% | 2021 | up 12.2% | falling |
| 34 | Sri Lanka | 5.1% | 2016 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 35 | Ecuador | 4.8% | 2017 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 36 | Greece | 4.7% | 2018 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 37 | Portugal | 4.7% | 2018 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 38 | Colombia | 4.6% | 2020 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 39 | Paraguay | 4.5% | 2021 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 40 | Russian Federation | 4.5% | 2016 | down 37.0% | falling |
| 41 | Chile | 4.4% | 2015 | down 21.0% | falling |
| 42 | Finland | 4.4% | 2018 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 43 | Malta | 4.2% | 2018 | up 9.0% | flat |
| 44 | Belgium | 4.2% | 2018 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 45 | Poland | 4.1% | 2017 | down 33.0% | falling |
| 46 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 3.9% | 2021 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 47 | Pakistan | 3.8% | 2020 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 48 | Hungary | 3.7% | 2018 | down 13.8% | falling |
| 49 | Türkiye | 3.7% | 2010 | down 40.8% | falling |
| 50 | Mexico | 3.6% | 2019 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 51 | Armenia | 3.5% | 2021 | down 22.8% | falling |
| 52 | Croatia | 3.5% | 2018 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 53 | Czechia | 3.5% | 2018 | up 4.2% | flat |
| 54 | El Salvador | 3.5% | 2021 | down 18.2% | falling |
| 55 | Serbia | 3.2% | 2018 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 56 | Mongolia | 3.0% | 2021 | down 27.4% | falling |
| 57 | Viet Nam | 2.9% | 2019 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 58 | Slovakia | 2.8% | 2017 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 59 | Romania | 2.7% | 2018 | down 27.5% | falling |
| 60 | Jordan | 2.7% | 2016 | down 66.7% | volatile |