Employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan
Bhutan: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 40.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan, 1982–2020
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan is 40.4%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan peaked at 51.8% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 1996.
That places Bhutan 25th out of 155 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 38.1% | — |
| 1983 | 35.0% | -8.3% |
| 1984 | 29.9% | -14.4% |
| 1988 | 43.5% | +45.2% |
| 1989 | 51.8% | +19.1% |
| 1990 | 47.9% | -7.6% |
| 1991 | 47.4% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 43.3% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 39.8% | -8.2% |
| 1994 | 31.0% | -22.0% |
| 1995 | 31.0% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 25.7% | -17.0% |
| 1997 | 34.8% | +35.3% |
| 1998 | 40.6% | +16.6% |
| 1999 | 37.6% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 42.4% | +12.7% |
| 2001 | 38.0% | -10.5% |
| 2002 | 39.3% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 36.2% | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 38.6% | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 37.2% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 39.4% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 39.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 31.6% | -20.1% |
| 2009 | 35.0% | +10.8% |
| 2010 | 38.1% | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 37.9% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 38.0% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 37.5% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 38.1% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 39.9% | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 36.2% | -9.4% |
| 2017 | 33.8% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | -9.9% |
| 2019 | 38.8% | +27.3% |
| 2020 | 40.4% | +4.2% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 40.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 40.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 19.6%, 2.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.6% | 29.9% | 51.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 37.9% | 25.7% | 47.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.7% | 31.6% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.9% | 30.5% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.4% | 40.4% | 40.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 22 Paraguay 41.5% compare
- 23 El Salvador 40.9% compare
- 24 Burkina Faso 40.7% compare
- 26 Saint Lucia 40.4% compare
- 27 Cape Verde 39.9% compare
- 28 Iran 39.8% compare
More work & labour data for Bhutan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7164 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6963 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7381 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.816 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9406 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 573.27 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 420.94 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 334.32 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 356.11 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 690.43 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Bhutan was 40.4% in 2020, 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 51.8% in 1989.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 1996.
- How does Bhutan rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Bhutan ranks 25th out of 155 countries with data for 2020.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.