Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain
Spain: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 24.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain, 2006–2020
Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain stood at 24.8%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.4% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain peaked at 24.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 2008.
Spain ranks 19th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 23.2% | — |
| 2007 | 22.2% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 19.9% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 21.0% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 22.7% | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 22.1% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 22.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 22.0% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 22.5% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 22.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 24.8% | +8.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.6% | 19.9% | 23.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 22.0% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 24.8% | 24.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More work & labour data for Spain
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4982 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1207 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,073 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,322 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,076 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 16,051 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 33,128 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain?
- Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Spain was 24.8% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 24.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 2008.
- How does Spain rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Spain ranks 19th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
- Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.