Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 21.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
21.6%
Change on year
down 10.1%
World rank
144th
of 191 countries
All-time high
25.5%
in 2007
All-time low
20.2%
in 2001
Years of data
23
2000–2022

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

01020302000201120222000: 20.52001: 20.22002: 22.12003: 222004: 22.32005: 23.72006: 24.52007: 25.52008: 242009: 22.62010: 23.52011: 22.32012: 22.32013: 23.82014: 23.82015: 25.22016: 24.72017: 22.92018: 23.22019: 22.22020: 24.22021: 242022: 21.6

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Sri Lanka is 21.6%, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of down 10.1% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Sri Lanka peaked at 25.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 20.2%, in 2001.

That places Sri Lanka 144th out of 191 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

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

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Sri Lanka, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 20.5%
2001 20.2% -1.3%
2002 22.1% +9.0%
2003 22.0% -0.2%
2004 22.3% +1.3%
2005 23.7% +6.4%
2006 24.5% +3.5%
2007 25.5% +3.7%
2008 24.0% -5.7%
2009 22.6% -6.0%
2010 23.5% +4.0%
2011 22.3% -5.0%
2012 22.3% +0.2%
2013 23.8% +6.6%
2014 23.8% +0.0%
2015 25.2% +5.7%
2016 24.7% -2.0%
2017 22.9% -7.4%
2018 23.2% +1.6%
2019 22.2% -4.6%
2020 24.2% +9.0%
2021 24.0% -0.7%
2022 21.6% -10.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.7% 20.2% 25.5% 10
2010s 23.4% 22.2% 25.2% 10
2020s 23.3% 21.6% 24.2% 3

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 141 New Zealand 22.1% compare
  2. 142 Benin 22.1% compare
  3. 143 Bahamas 22.0% compare
  4. 145 France 21.3% compare
  5. 146 Burundi 21.2% compare
  6. 147 Hungary 21.1% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Sri Lanka?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Sri Lanka was 21.6% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 25.5% in 2007.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 20.2% in 2001.
How does Sri Lanka rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
Sri Lanka ranks 144th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka. Statizoid. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/sri-lanka/

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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