Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland
Iceland: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 23.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland, 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
The most recent figure for employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland is 23.8%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland peaked at 35.3% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 2008.
Iceland ranks 82nd of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 26.7% | — |
| 1973 | 26.8% | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 25.7% | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 24.5% | -4.7% |
| 1976 | 26.7% | +9.0% |
| 1977 | 28.6% | +7.3% |
| 1978 | 29.2% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 27.8% | -4.8% |
| 1980 | 29.4% | +5.8% |
| 1981 | 28.8% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 35.3% | +22.5% |
| 1988 | 34.0% | -3.7% |
| 1989 | 27.4% | -19.4% |
| 1990 | 29.6% | +8.0% |
| 1991 | 30.0% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 29.7% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 31.0% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 30.1% | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 31.1% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 30.5% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 30.5% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 30.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 29.6% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 29.2% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 29.8% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 31.3% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 31.2% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 31.4% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 27.4% | -12.8% |
| 2006 | 26.6% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 25.5% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 15.8% | -38.2% |
| 2009 | 19.0% | +20.6% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 20.6% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 21.9% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 23.6% | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 21.7% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 25.8% | +19.0% |
| 2018 | 26.2% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 26.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 24.5% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 24.9% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 23.8% | -4.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 23.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 1.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 23.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.0% | 24.5% | 29.2% | 8 |
| 1980s | 31.0% | 27.4% | 35.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 30.3% | 29.6% | 31.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.7% | 15.8% | 31.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8% | 19.5% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 23.8% | 24.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 79 Tajikistan 24.8% compare
- 80 Barbados 24.7% compare
- 81 Kuwait 24.2% compare
- 83 San Marino 23.5% compare
- 84 Cote d'Ivoire 23.3% compare
- 85 Thailand 22.6% compare
More work & labour data for Iceland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4964 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4501 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5492 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.37 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2312 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 373.77 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 16.3 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 169.5 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 193.08 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 362.58 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iceland was 23.8% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 1987.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 2008.
- How does Iceland rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Iceland ranks 82nd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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 — 47 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.