Employee compensation as share of government spending in Panama
Panama: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 34.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
34.3%
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
48th
of 155 countries
All-time high
34.4%
in 2018
All-time low
28.5%
in 2015
Years of data
8
2014–2021
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Panama, 2014–2021
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Panama recorded 34.3% for employee compensation as share of government spending in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Panama ranks 48th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Panama, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 30.1% | — |
| 2015 | 28.5% | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 31.2% | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 33.7% | +7.8% |
| 2018 | 34.4% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 32.3% | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 32.8% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 34.3% | +4.7% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 34.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 1.8× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Panama's 34.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 32.0%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 31.7% | 28.5% | 34.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 33.5% | 32.8% | 34.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 45 Tunisia 35.1%
- 46 Philippines 35.0% compare
- 47 Cameroon 34.7% compare
- 49 Afghanistan 34.0%
- 50 Nauru 33.9% compare
- 51 Tonga 33.8% compare
More work & labour data for Panama
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.192 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1956 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1888 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,652 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,175 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,950 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,955 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,905 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Panama?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Panama was 34.3% 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 34.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.5% in 2015.
- How does Panama rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Panama ranks 48th out of 155 countries with data for 2021.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama 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 — 8 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.