Employee compensation as share of government spending in Namibia
Namibia: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 38.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Namibia, 1991–2023
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 Namibia stood at 38.8%. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.5% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Namibia peaked at 52.6% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 38.8%, in 2023.
Namibia ranks 33rd of 155 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 50.1% | — |
| 1992 | 52.6% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 52.3% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 51.7% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 51.0% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 48.8% | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 47.9% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 49.8% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 47.8% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 47.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 42.3% | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 43.9% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 45.8% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 40.6% | -11.5% |
| 2012 | 41.1% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 43.1% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 43.2% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 43.2% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 47.8% | +10.7% |
| 2017 | 44.1% | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 46.1% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 47.3% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 42.1% | -10.9% |
| 2021 | 43.8% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 42.9% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 38.8% | -9.5% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 38.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 1.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 38.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.9%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.7% | 50.1% | 52.6% | 3 |
| 2000s | 48.1% | 42.3% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.2% | 40.6% | 47.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.9% | 38.8% | 43.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More work & labour data for Namibia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0906 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0929 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3746 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.88 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,116 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,223 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,070 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,828 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,898 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Namibia?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Namibia was 38.8% 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.6% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.8% in 2023.
- How does Namibia rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Namibia ranks 33rd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia 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 — 27 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.