Employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea
South Korea: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 8.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea, 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
In 2023, employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea stood at 8.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.8% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea peaked at 18.8% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2022.
That places South Korea 146th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 16.9% | — |
| 1973 | 18.2% | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 15.4% | -15.8% |
| 1975 | 15.4% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 16.6% | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 18.8% | +13.3% |
| 1978 | 17.6% | -6.3% |
| 1979 | 16.4% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 17.7% | +7.7% |
| 1981 | 17.6% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 16.3% | -7.3% |
| 1983 | 17.4% | +6.7% |
| 1984 | 16.3% | -6.1% |
| 1985 | 15.5% | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 15.1% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 14.6% | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 14.5% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 13.8% | -5.0% |
| 1990 | 14.2% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 14.2% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 14.5% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 13.8% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 15.1% | +9.4% |
| 1996 | 14.4% | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 14.3% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -14.5% |
| 1999 | 11.5% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 10.7% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 11.4% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | -8.3% |
| 2004 | 11.7% | +11.6% |
| 2005 | 11.5% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 11.1% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 10.8% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 10.1% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 10.3% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 9.8% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 10.3% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 10.3% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 10.2% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 9.6% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 8.8% | +10.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 8.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 47% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 8.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.6%, 30% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.9% | 15.4% | 18.8% | 8 |
| 1980s | 15.9% | 13.8% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.8% | 11.5% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 10.1% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 9.6% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.7% | 7.9% | 9.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More work & labour data for South Korea
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 16,840 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,824 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.96 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.78 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 97,052 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 65,686 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 62.02 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.9719 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.1065 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in South Korea was 8.8% 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 18.8% in 1977.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- South Korea ranks 146th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.