Employee compensation as share of government spending in Nepal
Nepal: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 14.1% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Nepal, 2010–2021
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 Nepal stood at 14.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.3% on the previous year and down 48.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Nepal peaked at 27.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11.9%, in 2019.
That places Nepal 127th out of 155 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 27.6% | — |
| 2011 | 27.4% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 26.7% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 27.8% | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 26.1% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 24.1% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 22.9% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | -30.2% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | -25.4% |
| 2020 | 15.0% | +25.9% |
| 2021 | 14.1% | -6.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 14.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 44% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 14.1% is below the median for South Asia, which is 19.6%, 72% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.8% | 11.9% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.6% | 14.1% | 15.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 124 Rwanda 14.3% compare
- 125 Azerbaijan 14.2% compare
- 126 South Africa 14.2% compare
- 128 Belarus 14.1% compare
- 129 Argentina 12.9% compare
- 130 North Macedonia 12.4% compare
More work & labour data for Nepal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.593 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.568 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6174 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8524 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,496 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 22,611 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 16,146 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 15,685 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 31,831 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Nepal?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Nepal was 14.1% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.9% in 2019.
- How does Nepal rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Nepal ranks 127th out of 155 countries with data for 2021.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 12 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.