Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon
Lebanon: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 32.1% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon, 1998–2021
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2021, employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon stood at 32.1%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 46.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon peaked at 32.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 19.1%, in 2008.
Lebanon ranks 56th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 25.9% | — |
| 1999 | 27.3% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 24.2% | -11.5% |
| 2001 | 22.8% | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 20.7% | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 23.3% | +12.6% |
| 2005 | 23.0% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 20.1% | -12.7% |
| 2007 | 19.4% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 19.1% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 21.2% | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 21.2% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 21.9% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 22.2% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 21.2% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 22.0% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 25.0% | +13.5% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | -10.4% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | +8.6% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 24.0% | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 31.9% | +33.1% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | +0.6% |
Lebanon compared with similar countries
- Lebanon's 32.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Lebanon's 32.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.5%, 93% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.6% | 25.9% | 27.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.6% | 19.1% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 21.2% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 31.9% | 32.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
More work & labour data for Lebanon
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.3208 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.3318 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.3097 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.76 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1062 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,052 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 359.79 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,567 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 3,626 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 7,193 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lebanon was 32.1% in 2021, 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 Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.1% in 2008.
- How does Lebanon rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Lebanon ranks 56th out of 155 countries with data for 2021.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lebanon 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 — 24 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.