Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 30.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
30.5%
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
53rd
of 191 countries
All-time high
36.0%
in 2002
All-time low
30.5%
in 2019
Years of data
20
2000–2019

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Republic of Korea, 2000–2019

0102030402000200920192000: 35.32001: 34.12002: 362003: 332004: 32.32005: 34.22006: 33.62007: 332008: 33.12009: 32.72010: 332011: 32.12012: 31.52013: 31.82014: 32.62015: 32.42016: 32.72017: 32.52018: 32.32019: 30.5

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Republic of Korea recorded 30.5% for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Republic of Korea peaked at 36.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 30.5%, in 2019.

Republic of Korea ranks 53rd of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Republic of Korea, 2000 to 2019.
Year Value Change
2000 35.3%
2001 34.1% -3.5%
2002 36.0% +5.7%
2003 33.0% -8.4%
2004 32.3% -2.2%
2005 34.2% +6.1%
2006 33.6% -1.9%
2007 33.0% -1.6%
2008 33.1% +0.0%
2009 32.7% -1.1%
2010 33.0% +0.9%
2011 32.1% -2.8%
2012 31.5% -1.7%
2013 31.8% +0.8%
2014 32.6% +2.7%
2015 32.4% -0.6%
2016 32.7% +0.9%
2017 32.5% -0.6%
2018 32.3% -0.6%
2019 30.5% -5.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 33.7% 32.3% 36.0% 10
2010s 32.2% 30.5% 33.0% 10

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 50 Iceland 30.6% compare
  2. 51 Seychelles 30.6% compare
  3. 52 Cambodia 30.6% compare
  4. 54 Kiribati 30.3% compare
  5. 55 Tonga 29.9% compare
  6. 56 Cyprus 29.7% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Republic of Korea?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Republic of Korea was 30.5% in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 36.0% in 2002.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 30.5% in 2019.
How does Republic of Korea rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
Republic of Korea ranks 53rd out of 191 countries with data for 2019.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Republic of Korea 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 Republic of Korea. Statizoid. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/korea-rep/

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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