Employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway
Norway: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 14.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway, 1972–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Norway recorded 14.7% for employee compensation as share of government spending in 2023.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway peaked at 15.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 1994.
That places Norway 121st out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 13.1% | — |
| 1973 | 12.8% | -2.4% |
| 1974 | 12.0% | -5.7% |
| 1975 | 12.3% | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 12.1% | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 11.6% | -4.6% |
| 1978 | 10.8% | -6.4% |
| 1979 | 10.3% | -5.2% |
| 1980 | 9.8% | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 10.0% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 9.8% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 9.6% | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 9.5% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 9.3% | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 9.2% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 8.6% | -5.7% |
| 1989 | 8.6% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 8.4% | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 8.3% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 8.3% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 8.3% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | +15.1% |
| 1996 | 9.8% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 10.1% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 10.1% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 10.1% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 14.7% | +49.8% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 15.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 15.4% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 15.6% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 15.4% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 15.6% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 15.5% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 15.7% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 15.5% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 15.3% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 15.6% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 15.5% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 15.0% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 14.7% | -1.7% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 14.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 78% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Norway's 14.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +49.8% | 9.8% | 14.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.9% | 10.3% | 13.1% | 8 |
| 1980s | 9.5% | 8.6% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.1% | 8.3% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.3% | 9.8% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.6% | 15.3% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.7% | 14.2% | 15.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More work & labour data for Norway
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2229 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7506 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,138 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 663.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,690 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,724 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,414 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Norway was 14.7% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2013.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 1994.
- How does Norway rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Norway ranks 121st out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 52 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.