Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Australia

Australia: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 20.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
20.8%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
149th
of 191 countries
All-time high
27.1%
in 2003
All-time low
20.3%
in 2021
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Australia, 2000–2022

01020302000201120222000: 26.12001: 26.12002: 26.62003: 27.12004: 272005: 27.12006: 26.92007: 26.82008: 26.12009: 22.92010: 23.12011: 23.32012: 23.32013: 23.12014: 22.82015: 232016: 23.12017: 23.12018: 23.12019: 222020: 20.52021: 20.32022: 20.8

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Australia recorded 20.8% for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in 2022.

That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Australia peaked at 27.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2021.

That places Australia 149th out of 191 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Australia, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 26.1%
2001 26.1% -0.4%
2002 26.6% +2.2%
2003 27.1% +1.6%
2004 27.0% -0.2%
2005 27.1% +0.1%
2006 26.9% -0.5%
2007 26.8% -0.4%
2008 26.1% -2.5%
2009 22.9% -12.5%
2010 23.1% +0.9%
2011 23.3% +0.8%
2012 23.3% +0.4%
2013 23.1% -0.8%
2014 22.8% -1.4%
2015 23.0% +0.7%
2016 23.1% +0.7%
2017 23.1% -0.1%
2018 23.1% -0.0%
2019 22.0% -4.6%
2020 20.5% -7.0%
2021 20.3% -0.7%
2022 20.8% +2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 26.3% 22.9% 27.1% 10
2010s 23.0% 22.0% 23.3% 10
2020s 20.5% 20.3% 20.8% 3

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 146 Burundi 21.2% compare
  2. 147 Hungary 21.1% compare
  3. 148 Gambia 20.8% compare
  4. 150 Togo 20.7% compare
  5. 151 Angola 20.5% compare
  6. 152 Belarus 20.5% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Australia?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Australia was 20.8% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 27.1% in 2003.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2021.
How does Australia rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
Australia ranks 149th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Australia. Statizoid. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,119 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed