Netherlands vs Sweden: Employee compensation as share of government spending
Netherlands
7.8%
in 2023
Sweden
9.2%
in 2022
Netherlands rank
148th
Sweden rank
145th
Employee compensation as share of government spending over time
- Netherlands
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 9.2% against 7.8% in Netherlands, a difference of 1.4%.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.2 times Netherlands's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 49 shared years of data; in 1974 it was Netherlands ahead.
Netherlands ranks 148th and Sweden ranks 145th of 155 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.7% | 10.1% | 1.7% | Netherlands |
| 1980s | 9.4% | 6.7% | 2.8% | Netherlands |
| 1990s | 8.1% | 7.0% | 1.1% | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 7.4% | 9.2% | 1.9% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 7.5% | 9.2% | 1.7% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 7.6% | 9.1% | 1.5% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher employee compensation as share of government spending, Netherlands or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 9.2% against 7.8% in Netherlands as of 2022.
- What is the difference in employee compensation as share of government spending between Netherlands and Sweden?
- 1.4%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Sweden?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2022.
- How do Netherlands and Sweden rank globally for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Netherlands ranks 148th 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.