Employee compensation as share of government spending in Sweden
Sweden: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 9.2% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Latest (2022)
9.2%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
145th
of 155 countries
All-time high
13.5%
in 1972
All-time low
5.5%
in 1993
Years of data
51
1972–2022
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Sweden, 1972–2022
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 9.2% for employee compensation as share of government spending in 2022.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Sweden peaked at 13.5% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 1993.
That places Sweden 145th out of 155 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 13.5% | — |
| 1973 | 12.8% | -5.6% |
| 1974 | 11.6% | -8.9% |
| 1975 | 10.9% | -6.2% |
| 1976 | 10.4% | -4.9% |
| 1977 | 9.6% | -7.7% |
| 1978 | 9.3% | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 8.6% | -7.7% |
| 1980 | 8.3% | -3.5% |
| 1981 | 7.4% | -10.6% |
| 1982 | 7.1% | -4.2% |
| 1983 | 6.5% | -7.6% |
| 1984 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 6.0% | -8.9% |
| 1986 | 6.1% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 6.5% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 6.0% | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 6.2% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 6.3% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 6.1% | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 5.8% | -5.6% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | -6.0% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | +11.4% |
| 1995 | 7.6% | +24.7% |
| 1996 | 8.2% | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 8.4% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 7.8% | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 8.0% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 9.1% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 9.2% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 9.5% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 9.4% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 9.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 9.0% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 9.3% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 9.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 9.3% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 9.2% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 9.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 9.3% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 9.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 9.0% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 9.2% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | -0.4% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 9.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 49% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 9.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.8% | 8.6% | 13.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 6.0% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.0% | 5.5% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 8.7% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 8.8% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 9.0% | 9.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 142 Australia 9.5% compare
- 143 Moldova 9.5% compare
- 144 Mexico 9.2% compare
- 146 South Korea 8.8% compare
- 147 United States 8.1% compare
- 148 Netherlands 7.8% compare
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Sweden?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Sweden was 9.2% in 2022, 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 1972.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 1993.
- How does Sweden rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Sweden ranks 145th out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 51 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.