Employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa
Samoa: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 46.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa, 2012–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa is 46.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa peaked at 48.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 38.8%, in 2014.
That places Samoa 14th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 39.6% | — |
| 2013 | 40.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 38.8% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 41.6% | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 44.8% | +7.8% |
| 2017 | 48.5% | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 43.2% | -11.0% |
| 2019 | 44.1% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 45.7% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 43.6% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 47.3% | +8.4% |
| 2023 | 46.1% | -2.5% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 46.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26.6%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 46.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.6%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 42.6% | 38.8% | 48.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 45.7% | 43.6% | 47.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
More work & labour data for Samoa
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3169 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.332 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0409 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.92 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 52.37 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 191.01 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 187.95 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 195.61 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 383.56 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Samoa was 46.1% 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 Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 48.5% in 2017.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.8% in 2014.
- How does Samoa rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Samoa ranks 14th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa 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 — 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.