Employee compensation as share of government spending in Latvia
Latvia: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 19.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Latvia, 1994–2023
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 Latvia stood at 19.2%.
The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Latvia peaked at 23.5% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 2010.
That places Latvia 100th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Latvia, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 18.3% | — |
| 1995 | 23.5% | +28.7% |
| 1996 | 23.1% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 18.4% | -20.4% |
| 1998 | 17.1% | -7.4% |
| 1999 | 18.0% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 19.3% | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 20.4% | +5.5% |
| 2002 | 20.0% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 22.0% | +9.7% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -13.0% |
| 2005 | 19.0% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 21.8% | +18.8% |
| 2008 | 20.6% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 16.8% | -18.6% |
| 2010 | 14.1% | -16.2% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | +9.6% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 16.2% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 16.5% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 17.2% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 18.7% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 18.7% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 18.3% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 17.5% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 19.2% | +10.4% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 19.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 19.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.7% | 17.1% | 23.5% | 6 |
| 2000s | 19.7% | 16.8% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 14.1% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.1% | 17.4% | 19.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More work & labour data for Latvia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.2718 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,152 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 365.13 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 470.3 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 455.07 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 925.37 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Latvia?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Latvia was 19.2% 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 Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 1995.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 2010.
- How does Latvia rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Latvia ranks 100th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latvia 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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CSV · JSON — 30 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.