Employee compensation as share of government spending in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 48.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Saudi Arabia, 2010–2023
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 Saudi Arabia stood at 48.5%.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Saudi Arabia peaked at 59.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 48.2%, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia ranks 9th of 155 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 59.5% | — |
| 2011 | 59.6% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 52.9% | -11.2% |
| 2013 | 52.1% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 48.2% | -7.3% |
| 2015 | 57.5% | +19.2% |
| 2016 | 58.8% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 58.2% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 54.3% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 56.7% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 53.7% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 53.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 50.3% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 48.5% | -3.4% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 48.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 2.6× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 48.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.5%, 1.4× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 55.8% | 48.2% | 59.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.6% | 48.5% | 53.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 6 Central African Republic 49.9% compare
- 7 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 49.8% compare
- 8 Honduras 48.6% compare
- 10 Burundi 48.1% compare
- 11 Madagascar 47.9% compare
- 12 Solomon Islands 47.3% compare
More work & labour data for Saudi Arabia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5946 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.6842 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.31 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5985 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 40,709 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 4,348 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 31,198 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 39,809 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 71,007 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Saudi Arabia?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Saudi Arabia was 48.5% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.2% in 2014.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 9th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 14 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.