Employee compensation as share of government spending in Laos
Laos: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 54.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Laos, 2008–2022
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 Laos is 54.2%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and up 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Laos peaked at 58.8% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 41.4%, in 2010.
Laos ranks 2nd of 155 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 47.4% | — |
| 2009 | 49.0% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 41.4% | -15.5% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 44.8% | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 56.3% | +25.7% |
| 2014 | 51.3% | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 50.2% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 51.3% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 58.8% | +14.5% |
| 2018 | 56.8% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 53.8% | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 56.6% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 58.3% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 54.2% | -7.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 54.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 1.7× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Laos's 54.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.6%, 1.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.2% | 47.4% | 49.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 50.6% | 41.4% | 58.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.4% | 54.2% | 58.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More work & labour data for Laos
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1,934 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.2 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,788 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.25 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.16 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 19,084 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 6,038 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 65.37 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.63 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Laos?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Laos was 54.2% 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 58.8% in 2017.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.4% in 2010.
- How does Laos rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Laos ranks 2nd out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos 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.