Employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland
Ireland: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 26.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland, 1972–2022
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 Ireland is 26.6%, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland peaked at 27.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 1988.
That places Ireland 74th out of 155 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 15.9% | — |
| 1973 | 15.9% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 15.3% | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 15.6% | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 14.9% | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 14.1% | -5.4% |
| 1978 | 13.5% | -4.1% |
| 1979 | 13.8% | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 13.5% | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 14.0% | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 13.4% | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 12.9% | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 13.1% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 12.7% | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 12.9% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 12.9% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 12.6% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 13.6% | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 14.1% | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 14.4% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 14.6% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 14.1% | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 13.8% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | +24.2% |
| 1996 | 17.1% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 17.0% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 15.8% | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 14.8% | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 14.6% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 15.1% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 27.0% | +78.9% |
| 2006 | 27.1% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 27.6% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 26.6% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 24.4% | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | -32.8% |
| 2011 | 23.7% | +44.8% |
| 2012 | 24.7% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 24.3% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 25.4% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 25.7% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 26.5% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 26.5% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 27.3% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 23.8% | -12.7% |
| 2021 | 24.6% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 26.6% | +8.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 26.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 1.4× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 26.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +78.9% | 15.1% | 27.0% |
| 2011 | +44.8% | 16.4% | 23.7% |
| 2010 | -32.8% | 24.4% | 16.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.9% | 13.5% | 15.9% | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.1% | 12.6% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.5% | 13.8% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.8% | 14.6% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 16.4% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.0% | 23.8% | 26.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4574 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4405 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9335 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,354 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,447 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,638 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,286 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Ireland was 26.6% in 2022, 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2007.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 1988.
- How does Ireland rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Ireland ranks 74th out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 51 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.