Employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia
Australia: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 9.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia, 1990–2022
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Australia recorded 9.5% for employee compensation as share of government spending in 2022.
The figure is up 7.6% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia peaked at 12.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1990.
That places Australia 142nd out of 155 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.1% | — |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +28.8% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 12.1% | +298.1% |
| 2000 | 10.7% | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 9.9% | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 10.4% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 10.4% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 10.3% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 10.5% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 10.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 9.8% | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 10.3% | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 10.5% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 10.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 11.5% | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 10.6% | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 10.4% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 10.6% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 10.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10.3% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 10.0% | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 9.5% | +7.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 9.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 50% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Australia's 9.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.6%, 32% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +298.1% | 3.0% | 12.1% |
| 1997 | +28.8% | 2.2% | 2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.4% | 2.1% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 9.8% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.6% | 10.3% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.4% | 8.8% | 10.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More work & labour data for Australia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5202 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9895 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8931 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 30,186 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,001 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,642 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 21,502 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 43,144 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Australia was 9.5% in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Australia ranks 142nd out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employee compensation as share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.