Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure by country
Countries reporting
190
Highest
75.2%
Libya
Lowest
3.4%
India
Median
25.8%
Years covered
23
2000–2022
Data points
4,096
What the numbers show
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure is currently reported for 190 countries. The highest value is 75.2% in Libya; the lowest is 3.4% in India.
The median across all reporting countries is 25.8%, and the mean is 26.5%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 22.
Over the past decade 76 countries rose and 111 fell. The largest increase was in Equatorial Guinea (up 590.7%), and the largest decrease in Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (down 70.9%).
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libya | 75.2% | 2014 | up 261.5% | volatile |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 54.6% | 2022 | up 39.9% | rising |
| 3 | Lebanon | 52.8% | 2020 | up 76.5% | rising |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 49.2% | 2022 | up 19.4% | falling |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 45.6% | 2020 | down 16.0% | rising |
| 6 | Somalia | 44.0% | 2022 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 7 | Mozambique | 43.8% | 2022 | up 40.5% | rising |
| 8 | Eritrea | 43.3% | 2022 | up 151.0% | rising |
| 9 | Tunisia | 43.1% | 2022 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 10 | Kuwait | 41.3% | 2022 | up 58.4% | rising |
| 11 | Botswana | 40.4% | 2022 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 12 | Namibia | 39.6% | 2022 | up 11.0% | falling |
| 13 | Samoa | 39.3% | 2022 | up 72.2% | rising |
| 14 | Viet Nam | 39.0% | 2019 | — | rising |
| 15 | Honduras | 38.9% | 2021 | down 16.4% | falling |
| 16 | Kyrgyzstan | 38.8% | 2022 | up 59.5% | rising |
| 17 | El Salvador | 38.3% | 2022 | up 8.6% | flat |
| 18 | Turkmenistan | 37.8% | 2022 | up 35.0% | falling |
| 19 | Chad | 37.7% | 2022 | up 101.7% | rising |
| 20 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 37.0% | 2022 | up 48.8% | rising |
| 21 | Antigua and Barbuda | 36.9% | 2022 | down 7.5% | flat |
| 22 | Palau | 36.7% | 2019 | down 16.5% | falling |
| 23 | Lesotho | 36.4% | 2022 | up 35.7% | falling |
| 24 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 35.9% | 2022 | down 23.1% | flat |
| 25 | Morocco | 35.7% | 2022 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 26 | Jamaica | 35.5% | 2022 | down 3.8% | rising |
| 27 | Brunei Darussalam | 35.3% | 2022 | up 38.6% | rising |
| 28 | Marshall Islands | 35.2% | 2022 | down 12.2% | rising |
| 29 | Eswatini | 35.2% | 2022 | down 15.9% | flat |
| 30 | Cabo Verde | 34.2% | 2022 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 31 | Belize | 34.2% | 2022 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 32 | Vanuatu | 33.0% | 2022 | down 33.5% | falling |
| 33 | Gabon | 33.0% | 2022 | up 52.9% | rising |
| 34 | Burkina Faso | 32.9% | 2022 | up 43.9% | rising |
| 35 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 32.6% | 2022 | up 33.4% | rising |
| 36 | Sierra Leone | 32.5% | 2022 | up 16.8% | rising |
| 37 | Mali | 32.4% | 2022 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 38 | Iraq | 32.3% | 2022 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 39 | Qatar | 31.8% | 2022 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 40 | Zimbabwe | 31.8% | 2022 | down 47.2% | rising |
| 41 | Panama | 31.6% | 2022 | up 45.8% | rising |
| 42 | Bhutan | 31.4% | 2021 | — | rising |
| 43 | South Africa | 31.2% | 2022 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 44 | Haiti | 31.1% | 2022 | up 74.3% | rising |
| 45 | Sao Tome and Principe | 31.0% | 2022 | up 64.7% | volatile |
| 46 | Solomon Islands | 31.0% | 2022 | up 53.6% | falling |
| 47 | Bahrain | 30.8% | 2022 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 48 | Costa Rica | 30.7% | 2022 | down 22.0% | rising |
| 49 | Russia | 30.7% | 2022 | up 13.4% | rising |
| 50 | Iceland | 30.6% | 2022 | up 9.4% | flat |
| 51 | Seychelles | 30.6% | 2022 | up 71.6% | flat |
| 52 | Cambodia | 30.6% | 2022 | up 64.9% | rising |
| 53 | Republic of Korea | 30.5% | 2019 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 54 | Kiribati | 30.3% | 2021 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 55 | Tonga | 29.9% | 2022 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 56 | Cyprus | 29.7% | 2022 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 57 | San Marino | 29.7% | 2021 | down 44.8% | falling |
| 58 | Tuvalu | 29.3% | 2022 | down 31.1% | falling |
| 59 | Guatemala | 29.2% | 2022 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 60 | Mauritius | 28.9% | 2022 | down 15.5% | flat |
| 61 | Aruba | 28.7% | 2022 | down 20.5% | falling |
| 62 | Denmark | 28.6% | 2022 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 63 | Central African Republic | 28.6% | 2022 | up 4.4% | falling |
| 64 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 28.5% | 2022 | down 13.5% | rising |
| 65 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 28.4% | 2022 | down 20.7% | flat |
| 66 | Saint Lucia | 28.3% | 2022 | down 9.6% | falling |
| 67 | Indonesia | 28.3% | 2022 | down 1.2% | rising |
| 68 | Malta | 28.2% | 2022 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 69 | Suriname | 28.0% | 2022 | up 9.9% | falling |
| 70 | Ghana | 28.0% | 2022 | down 25.1% | rising |
| 71 | Paraguay | 27.9% | 2022 | down 25.3% | falling |
| 72 | Uzbekistan | 27.8% | 2020 | — | falling |
| 73 | Fiji | 27.7% | 2022 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 74 | Argentina | 27.6% | 2022 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 75 | Nauru | 27.6% | 2022 | up 14.4% | rising |
| 76 | Lithuania | 27.6% | 2022 | down 0.3% | falling |
| 77 | Norway | 27.5% | 2022 | down 8.7% | flat |
| 78 | Ecuador | 27.4% | 2022 | up 12.0% | falling |
| 79 | Madagascar | 27.3% | 2022 | down 31.4% | rising |
| 80 | Chile | 27.1% | 2022 | up 9.8% | flat |
| 81 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | 27.1% | 2022 | down 14.7% | falling |
| 82 | Kosovo | 27.0% | 2022 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 83 | Canada | 26.8% | 2021 | down 8.2% | flat |
| 84 | Papua New Guinea | 26.8% | 2022 | up 91.0% | rising |
| 85 | Yemen | 26.7% | 2022 | down 12.8% | rising |
| 86 | Peru | 26.6% | 2022 | up 10.1% | falling |
| 87 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26.5% | 2022 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 88 | Guinea-Bissau | 26.5% | 2022 | down 26.7% | rising |
| 89 | Oman | 26.4% | 2022 | up 48.3% | rising |
| 90 | Zambia | 26.3% | 2022 | down 20.8% | rising |
| 91 | Ireland | 26.1% | 2022 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 92 | Brazil | 26.1% | 2022 | up 7.4% | flat |
| 93 | Djibouti | 26.1% | 2022 | down 19.5% | falling |
| 94 | Malawi | 26.0% | 2022 | up 28.5% | rising |
| 95 | Grenada | 25.9% | 2022 | down 35.5% | rising |
| 96 | Estonia | 25.7% | 2022 | up 2.5% | falling |
| 97 | United Arab Emirates | 25.6% | 2022 | up 163.2% | rising |
| 98 | Liberia | 25.5% | 2022 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 99 | Philippines | 25.4% | 2022 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 100 | Sweden | 25.3% | 2022 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 101 | Slovenia | 25.0% | 2022 | down 1.5% | flat |
| 102 | Algeria | 24.9% | 2022 | down 11.2% | rising |
| 103 | Maldives | 24.9% | 2022 | down 28.0% | falling |
| 104 | Cameroon | 24.8% | 2022 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 105 | United States | 24.7% | 2022 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 106 | Sudan | 24.5% | 2022 | down 15.1% | falling |
| 107 | Barbados | 24.3% | 2022 | down 12.1% | falling |
| 108 | Israel | 24.1% | 2022 | down 3.6% | flat |
| 109 | Côte d'Ivoire | 24.0% | 2022 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 110 | Tajikistan | 24.0% | 2022 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 111 | Spain | 23.8% | 2022 | up 6.8% | flat |
| 112 | Malaysia | 23.8% | 2022 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 113 | United Republic of Tanzania | 23.6% | 2022 | down 5.2% | rising |
| 114 | United Kingdom | 23.5% | 2022 | up 2.2% | falling |
| 115 | Portugal | 23.5% | 2022 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 116 | Senegal | 23.5% | 2022 | up 5.3% | falling |
| 117 | Croatia | 23.4% | 2022 | down 5.7% | flat |
| 118 | Slovak Republic | 23.4% | 2022 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 119 | Comoros | 23.4% | 2022 | down 26.1% | falling |
| 120 | Finland | 23.3% | 2022 | down 9.2% | falling |
| 121 | Macau, China | 23.2% | 2020 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 122 | Thailand | 23.2% | 2022 | down 23.4% | falling |
| 123 | Guinea | 23.1% | 2022 | up 36.3% | rising |
| 124 | Dominican Republic | 23.1% | 2022 | up 26.3% | falling |
| 125 | Luxembourg | 23.1% | 2022 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 126 | Ukraine | 23.1% | 2021 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 127 | Czechia | 22.9% | 2022 | up 16.6% | rising |
| 128 | Poland | 22.9% | 2022 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 129 | Belgium | 22.9% | 2022 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 130 | Nicaragua | 22.7% | 2022 | down 17.7% | falling |
| 131 | Mauritania | 22.6% | 2022 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 132 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 22.5% | 2022 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 133 | Romania | 22.4% | 2022 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 134 | Serbia | 22.4% | 2022 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 135 | Montenegro | 22.3% | 2022 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 136 | Greece | 22.3% | 2022 | down 8.2% | flat |
| 137 | Singapore | 22.2% | 2022 | down 38.2% | falling |
| 138 | Congo | 22.1% | 2022 | up 146.4% | rising |
| 139 | Switzerland | 22.1% | 2022 | down 4.3% | flat |
| 140 | New Zealand | 22.1% | 2022 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 141 | Benin | 22.1% | 2022 | down 36.1% | rising |
| 142 | Bahamas | 22.0% | 2022 | down 36.2% | falling |
| 143 | Sri Lanka | 21.6% | 2022 | down 3.3% | rising |
| 144 | France | 21.3% | 2022 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 145 | Burundi | 21.2% | 2022 | down 5.3% | rising |
| 146 | Hungary | 21.1% | 2022 | up 5.1% | falling |
| 147 | Gambia | 20.8% | 2022 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 148 | Australia | 20.8% | 2022 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 149 | Togo | 20.7% | 2022 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 150 | Angola | 20.5% | 2022 | down 9.5% | rising |
| 151 | Belarus | 20.5% | 2022 | down 1.6% | falling |
| 152 | Dominica | 20.4% | 2022 | down 33.1% | falling |
| 153 | Republic of Moldova | 20.4% | 2022 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 154 | Austria | 20.3% | 2022 | down 3.4% | flat |
| 155 | Azerbaijan | 20.2% | 2022 | up 118.0% | falling |
| 156 | Armenia | 20.0% | 2022 | down 4.0% | falling |
| 157 | Syrian Arab Republic | 19.7% | 2010 | up 44.1% | rising |
| 158 | Latvia | 19.6% | 2022 | down 3.0% | rising |
| 159 | Türkiye | 19.2% | 2022 | down 9.9% | rising |
| 160 | Italy | 18.8% | 2022 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 161 | Netherlands | 18.6% | 2022 | down 2.4% | falling |
| 162 | Guyana | 18.2% | 2022 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 163 | Egypt | 18.1% | 2022 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 164 | North Macedonia | 18.0% | 2022 | down 20.2% | falling |
| 165 | Rwanda | 17.4% | 2022 | up 27.1% | falling |
| 166 | Jordan | 17.2% | 2022 | up 20.8% | flat |
| 167 | Equatorial Guinea | 17.1% | 2022 | up 590.7% | volatile |
| 168 | Trinidad and Tobago | 17.0% | 2022 | up 20.4% | falling |
| 169 | Uganda | 17.0% | 2022 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 170 | Mexico | 16.9% | 2022 | down 11.9% | falling |
| 171 | Bulgaria | 16.8% | 2022 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 172 | Myanmar | 16.5% | 2022 | up 48.3% | rising |
| 173 | Mongolia | 16.4% | 2021 | up 2.0% | falling |
| 174 | Kenya | 16.1% | 2022 | down 33.7% | falling |
| 175 | Germany | 16.0% | 2022 | down 7.9% | flat |
| 176 | Kazakhstan | 15.8% | 2022 | up 13.1% | falling |
| 177 | Niger | 15.7% | 2022 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 178 | South Sudan | 15.4% | 2022 | down 54.6% | falling |
| 179 | Colombia | 15.3% | 2022 | down 15.0% | falling |
| 180 | Hong Kong (China) | 15.1% | 2020 | down 36.3% | falling |
| 181 | Uruguay | 15.1% | 2022 | down 8.6% | flat |
| 182 | Albania | 13.8% | 2022 | down 25.2% | falling |
| 183 | Japan | 12.6% | 2021 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 184 | Timor-Leste | 12.3% | 2022 | up 41.8% | rising |
| 185 | Nigeria | 11.4% | 2022 | down 17.5% | rising |
| 186 | Bangladesh | 10.9% | 2022 | down 24.0% | falling |
| 187 | Georgia | 10.9% | 2022 | down 29.9% | falling |
| 188 | Nepal | 10.3% | 2022 | down 43.1% | falling |
| 189 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 3.4% | 2021 | down 70.9% | falling |
| 190 | India | 3.4% | 2022 | down 14.1% | falling |