Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 12.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
12.7%
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
25th
of 191 countries
All-time high
13.8%
in 2018
All-time low
6.3%
in 2003
Years of data
18
2003–2020

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Afghanistan, 2003–2020

0510152003201120202003: 6.32004: 7.32005: 6.62006: 7.12007: 7.42008: 8.22009: 9.42010: 11.32011: 12.52012: 12.92013: 12.52014: 12.72015: 12.42016: 13.52017: 13.62018: 13.82019: 13.42020: 12.7

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 12.7% for wage bill as a percentage of gdp in 2020.

That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Afghanistan peaked at 13.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 2003.

That places Afghanistan 25th out of 191 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Afghanistan, 2003 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2003 6.3%
2004 7.3% +15.2%
2005 6.6% -9.2%
2006 7.1% +7.0%
2007 7.4% +4.1%
2008 8.2% +12.0%
2009 9.4% +14.4%
2010 11.3% +19.7%
2011 12.5% +10.9%
2012 12.9% +3.2%
2013 12.5% -3.4%
2014 12.7% +1.6%
2015 12.4% -2.2%
2016 13.5% +8.4%
2017 13.6% +0.7%
2018 13.8% +2.1%
2019 13.4% -2.8%
2020 12.7% -5.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.5% 6.3% 9.4% 7
2010s 12.9% 11.3% 13.8% 10
2020s 12.7% 12.7% 12.7% 1

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 22 Saudi Arabia 13.2% compare
  2. 23 Timor-Leste 13.2% compare
  3. 24 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 13.0% compare
  4. 26 Cyprus 12.6% compare
  5. 27 Finland 12.6% compare
  6. 28 Sweden 12.4% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Afghanistan?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Afghanistan was 12.7% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 13.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 2003.
How does Afghanistan rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Afghanistan ranks 25th out of 191 countries with data for 2020.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Afghanistan. Statizoid. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/afghanistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of GDP
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,127 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed