Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iraq
Iraq: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 51.9% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
51.9%
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
5th
of 155 countries
All-time high
59.6%
in 2015
All-time low
44.3%
in 2014
Years of data
6
2014–2019
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iraq, 2014–2019
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 Iraq is 51.9%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Iraq ranks 5th of 155 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 44.3% | — |
| 2015 | 59.6% | +34.5% |
| 2016 | 58.3% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 54.9% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 53.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 51.9% | -2.5% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 51.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26.6%, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 51.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.5%, 1.5× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 2 Laos 54.2% compare
- 3 Botswana 54.0% compare
- 4 Belize 52.4%
- 6 Central African Republic 49.9% compare
- 7 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 49.8%
- 8 Honduras 48.6% compare
More work & labour data for Iraq
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1939 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1833 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2038 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 65,560 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,931 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 50,009 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 50,640 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 100,649 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Iraq?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Iraq was 51.9% in 2019, 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.3% in 2014.
- How does Iraq rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Iraq ranks 5th out of 155 countries with data for 2019.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iraq 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 — 6 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.