Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Canada

Canada: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 12.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
12.4%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
30th
of 191 countries
All-time high
12.9%
in 2020
All-time low
11.0%
in 2005
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Canada, 2000–2021

0510152000201020212000: 11.12001: 11.22002: 11.42003: 11.52004: 11.22005: 112006: 11.12007: 11.22008: 11.32009: 12.72010: 12.42011: 12.22012: 12.12013: 12.12014: 11.92015: 12.12016: 12.22017: 122018: 12.12019: 122020: 12.92021: 12.4

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Canada recorded 12.4% for wage bill as a percentage of gdp in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Canada peaked at 12.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 2005.

Canada ranks 30th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Canada, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 11.1% —
2001 11.2% +0.5%
2002 11.4% +1.7%
2003 11.5% +1.3%
2004 11.2% -2.7%
2005 11.0% -1.9%
2006 11.1% +1.1%
2007 11.2% +0.7%
2008 11.3% +1.4%
2009 12.7% +12.0%
2010 12.4% -2.6%
2011 12.2% -1.7%
2012 12.1% -0.3%
2013 12.1% -0.1%
2014 11.9% -2.2%
2015 12.1% +2.5%
2016 12.2% +0.7%
2017 12.0% -1.9%
2018 12.1% +0.8%
2019 12.0% -0.6%
2020 12.9% +7.4%
2021 12.4% -4.4%

Canada compared with similar countries

  • Canada's 12.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.0%, 1.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11.4% 11.0% 12.7% 10
2010s 12.1% 11.9% 12.4% 10
2020s 12.6% 12.4% 12.9% 2

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 27 Finland 12.6% compare
  2. 28 Sweden 12.4% compare
  3. 29 France 12.4% compare
  4. 31 Belgium 12.3% compare
  5. 32 El Salvador 12.1% compare
  6. 33 Malta 12.1% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Canada?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Canada was 12.4% in 2021, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 2005.
How does Canada rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Canada ranks 30th out of 191 countries with data for 2021.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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 Canada. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/canada/

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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