Sweden vs United States of America: Employee compensation as share of government spending
Sweden
9.2%
in 2022
United States of America
8.1%
in 2023
Sweden rank
145th
United States of America rank
147th
Employee compensation as share of government spending over time
- Sweden
- United States of America
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 9.2% against 8.1% in United States of America, a difference of 1.1%.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1972 it was United States of America ahead.
Sweden ranks 145th and United States of America ranks 147th of 155 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Sweden averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.8% | 15.1% | 4.3% | United States of America |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 10.8% | 4.2% | United States of America |
| 1990s | 7.0% | 9.1% | 2.1% | United States of America |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 10.3% | 1.0% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 9.8% | 0.6% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 7.2% | 1.9% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher employee compensation as share of government spending, Sweden or United States of America?
- Sweden, at 9.2% against 8.1% in United States of America as of 2022.
- What is the difference in employee compensation as share of government spending between Sweden and United States of America?
- 1.1%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United States of America?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2022.
- How do Sweden and United States of America rank globally for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Sweden ranks 145th 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.