Portugal vs Spain: Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Portugal
26.9%
in 2020
Spain
24.8%
in 2020
Portugal rank
17th
Spain rank
19th
Public sector employment as a share of total employment over time
- Portugal
- Spain
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 26.9% against 24.8% in Spain, a difference of 2.1%.
That makes Portugal's figure about 1.1 times Spain's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 14 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Portugal ahead.
Portugal ranks 17th and Spain ranks 19th of 79 countries.
Portugal has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.2% | 21.0% | 0.2% | Portugal |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 22.7% | 1.2% | Portugal |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 24.8% | 2.1% | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public sector employment as a share of total employment, Portugal or Spain?
- Portugal, at 26.9% against 24.8% in Spain as of 2020.
- What is the difference in public sector employment as a share of total employment between Portugal and Spain?
- 2.1%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Spain?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2020.
- How do Portugal and Spain rank globally for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Portugal ranks 17th and Spain ranks 19th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.