Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia

Serbia: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 17.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
17.7%
Change on year
down 9.3%
World rank
45th
of 79 countries
All-time high
22.1%
in 2015
All-time low
17.7%
in 2020
Years of data
8
2013–2020

Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia, 2013–2020

051015202013201620202013: 19.8 %2014: 20.3 %2015: 22.1 %2016: 21.1 %2017: 21.2 %2018: 18.8 %2019: 19.5 %2020: 17.7 %

Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia is 17.7%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

That represents a change of down 9.3% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.

Serbia ranks 45th of 79 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia, 2013 to 2020.
Year % Change
2013 19.8%
2014 20.3% +2.7%
2015 22.1% +8.6%
2016 21.1% -4.4%
2017 21.2% +0.3%
2018 18.8% -11.3%
2019 19.5% +3.6%
2020 17.7% -9.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 20.4% 18.8% 22.1% 7
2020s 17.7% 17.7% 17.7% 1

Countries ranked near Serbia

  1. 42 Mauritius 18.3% compare
  2. 43 Panama 18.0% compare
  3. 44 Bulgaria 17.7% compare
  4. 46 Uruguay 17.0% compare
  5. 47 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 16.8%
  6. 48 Dominican Republic 16.5% compare

See the full ranking of 79 places →

More work & labour data for Serbia

All data for Serbia →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia?
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia was 17.7% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Serbia?
The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2015.
What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Serbia?
The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 2020.
How does Serbia rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
Serbia ranks 45th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Serbia?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Serbia data come from?
The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Serbia. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-total-employment/serbia/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Unit
%
Source
World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
79 places, 1,004 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed

Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.