Employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria
Austria: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 10.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria, 1972–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2023, employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria stood at 10.1%.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria peaked at 32.0% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 2022.
Austria ranks 139th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 32.0% | — |
| 1973 | 23.5% | -26.6% |
| 1974 | 23.2% | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 23.6% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 24.0% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 23.4% | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 22.6% | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 22.5% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 22.2% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 22.2% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 21.8% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 21.5% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 21.4% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 21.6% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 21.4% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 21.0% | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 20.1% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 20.5% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 10.1% | -50.4% |
| 1991 | 10.2% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 10.1% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 9.8% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 9.7% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 11.1% | +14.1% |
| 1996 | 10.9% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 10.9% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 10.8% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 10.8% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 10.3% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 10.4% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 11.0% | +11.7% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 11.0% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 10.4% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 10.3% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 10.6% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 9.8% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 9.7% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 10.1% | +4.1% |
Austria compared with similar countries
- Austria's 10.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 53% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Austria's 10.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 61% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -50.4% | 20.5% | 10.1% |
| 1973 | -26.6% | 32.0% | 23.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.3% | 22.5% | 32.0% | 8 |
| 1980s | 21.4% | 20.1% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.5% | 9.7% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 9.8% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 10.3% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.9% | 9.7% | 10.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Austria
More work & labour data for Austria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2039 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2126 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1955 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5124 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,294 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 2,584 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,691 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 3,708 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 7,399 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Austria was 10.1% in 2023, 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 Austria?
- The highest recorded value was 32.0% in 1972.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Austria?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 2022.
- How does Austria rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Austria ranks 139th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Austria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Austria 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.