Republic of Korea vs United States of America: Employee compensation as share of government spending
Republic of Korea
8.8%
in 2023
United States of America
8.1%
in 2023
Republic of Korea rank
146th
United States of America rank
147th
Employee compensation as share of government spending over time
- Republic of Korea
- United States of America
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 8.8% against 8.1% in United States of America, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes Republic of Korea's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 52 shared years of data; in 1972 it was United States of America ahead.
Republic of Korea ranks 146th and United States of America ranks 147th of 155 countries.
Republic of Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Republic of Korea | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.9% | 15.1% | 1.8% | Republic of Korea |
| 1980s | 15.9% | 10.8% | 5.0% | Republic of Korea |
| 1990s | 13.8% | 9.1% | 4.7% | Republic of Korea |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 10.3% | 0.7% | Republic of Korea |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 9.8% | 0.4% | Republic of Korea |
| 2020s | 8.7% | 7.4% | 1.3% | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher employee compensation as share of government spending, Republic of Korea or United States of America?
- Republic of Korea, at 8.8% against 8.1% in United States of America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in employee compensation as share of government spending between Republic of Korea and United States of America?
- 0.7%, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Republic of Korea and United States of America?
- 52 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2023.
- How do Republic of Korea and United States of America rank globally for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Republic of Korea ranks 146th and United States of America ranks 147th 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.