Australia vs Sweden: Employee compensation as share of government spending
Australia
9.5%
in 2022
Sweden
9.2%
in 2022
Australia rank
142nd
Sweden rank
145th
Employee compensation as share of government spending over time
- Australia
- Sweden
How they compare
Australia currently reports 9.5% against 9.2% in Sweden, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Sweden ahead.
Australia ranks 142nd and Sweden ranks 145th of 155 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.4% | 7.0% | 3.6% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 9.2% | 1.0% | Australia |
| 2010s | 10.6% | 9.2% | 1.4% | Australia |
| 2020s | 9.4% | 9.1% | 0.3% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher employee compensation as share of government spending, Australia or Sweden?
- Australia, at 9.5% against 9.2% in Sweden as of 2022.
- What is the difference in employee compensation as share of government spending between Australia and Sweden?
- 0.3%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Sweden?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2022.
- How do Australia and Sweden rank globally for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Australia ranks 142nd and Sweden ranks 145th of 155 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Employee compensation as share of government spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.