Employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey
Turkey: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 20.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey, 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
In 2023, employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey stood at 20.9%.
That represents a change of up 6.7% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey peaked at 53.7% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 19.5%, in 2022.
That places Turkey 94th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 46.4% | — |
| 1973 | 45.4% | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 53.7% | +18.3% |
| 1975 | 47.0% | -12.5% |
| 1976 | 48.7% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 44.6% | -8.4% |
| 1978 | 48.8% | +9.4% |
| 1979 | 40.8% | -16.4% |
| 1980 | 41.3% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 37.3% | -9.6% |
| 1983 | 32.3% | -13.5% |
| 1984 | 25.9% | -19.8% |
| 1985 | 23.9% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 29.0% | +21.1% |
| 1987 | 30.7% | +5.9% |
| 1988 | 29.4% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 40.3% | +37.3% |
| 1990 | 47.5% | +17.8% |
| 1991 | 46.1% | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 51.6% | +11.9% |
| 1993 | 41.8% | -19.0% |
| 1994 | 35.6% | -14.8% |
| 1995 | 31.7% | -10.9% |
| 1996 | 26.9% | -15.3% |
| 1997 | 26.8% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 25.3% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 21.1% | -16.4% |
| 2009 | 20.3% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 22.0% | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 24.6% | +7.2% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 24.6% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 24.9% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 22.0% | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 22.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 22.8% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 23.8% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 22.1% | -7.1% |
| 2022 | 19.5% | -11.7% |
| 2023 | 20.9% | +6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 46.9% | 40.8% | 53.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 32.2% | 23.9% | 41.3% | 9 |
| 1990s | 37.0% | 25.3% | 51.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 20.7% | 20.3% | 21.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.5% | 22.0% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.6% | 19.5% | 23.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
- 91 New Zealand 21.5% compare
- 92 Uzbekistan 21.3% compare
- 93 Portugal 21.1% compare
- 95 Albania 20.5% compare
- 96 Luxembourg 20.5% compare
- 97 Bangladesh 20.3% compare
More work & labour data for Turkey
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 31,966 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 54.63 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 38,497 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 49.84 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.6505 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 54.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Turkey was 20.9% 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 Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 53.7% in 1974.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.5% in 2022.
- How does Turkey rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Turkey ranks 94th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey 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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About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.