Employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada
Canada: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 10.2% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada, 1990–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Canada recorded 10.2% for employee compensation as share of government spending in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada peaked at 12.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 7.1%, in 2020.
Canada ranks 138th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.5% | — |
| 1991 | 10.4% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 10.3% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 9.9% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 9.9% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 9.6% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 9.2% | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 9.3% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 9.2% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 9.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 10.4% | +12.2% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | +10.5% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 11.1% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 11.3% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 11.8% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 11.8% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 11.5% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 12.0% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 7.1% | -32.2% |
| 2021 | 9.2% | +29.5% |
| 2022 | 10.2% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 10.2% | +0.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 10.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 54% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -32.2% | 10.5% | 7.1% |
| 2021 | +29.5% | 7.1% | 9.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.8% | 9.2% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.9% | 9.8% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 10.4% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 7.1% | 10.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Canada was 10.2% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.1% in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Canada ranks 138th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada 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.