Compensation of employees in Australia

Australia: Compensation of employees was 9.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
9.5%
Change on year
up 7.6%
World rank
142nd
of 155 countries
All-time high
12.1%
in 1999
All-time low
2.1%
in 1990
Years of data
33
1990–2022

Compensation of employees in Australia, 1990–2022

246810121990200620221990: 2.1 % of expense1991: 2.2 % of expense1992: 2.2 % of expense1993: 2.2 % of expense1994: 2.3 % of expense1995: 2.3 % of expense1996: 2.2 % of expense1997: 2.9 % of expense1998: 3 % of expense1999: 12.1 % of expense2000: 10.7 % of expense2001: 9.9 % of expense2002: 9.8 % of expense2003: 10.4 % of expense2004: 10.4 % of expense2005: 10.2 % of expense2006: 10.3 % of expense2007: 10.5 % of expense2008: 10.5 % of expense2009: 9.8 % of expense2010: 10.3 % of expense2011: 10.5 % of expense2012: 10.5 % of expense2013: 11.5 % of expense2014: 10.6 % of expense2015: 10.4 % of expense2016: 10.6 % of expense2017: 10.6 % of expense2018: 10.3 % of expense2019: 10.5 % of expense2020: 10 % of expense2021: 8.8 % of expense2022: 9.5 % of expense

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.

Analysis

In 2022, compensation of employees in Australia stood at 9.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.6% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Australia peaked at 12.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1990.

That places Australia 142nd out of 155 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Compensation of employees in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Australia, 1990 to 2022.
Year % of expense Change
1990 2.1%
1991 2.2% +1.4%
1992 2.2% +0.0%
1993 2.2% +2.6%
1994 2.3% +4.5%
1995 2.3% -2.6%
1996 2.2% -1.1%
1997 2.9% +28.8%
1998 3.0% +5.4%
1999 12.1% +298.1%
2000 10.7% -11.6%
2001 9.9% -7.4%
2002 9.8% -0.9%
2003 10.4% +5.5%
2004 10.4% +0.5%
2005 10.2% -2.2%
2006 10.3% +1.0%
2007 10.5% +1.8%
2008 10.5% -0.1%
2009 9.8% -6.1%
2010 10.3% +4.6%
2011 10.5% +2.3%
2012 10.5% +0.1%
2013 11.5% +9.0%
2014 10.6% -7.8%
2015 10.4% -1.4%
2016 10.6% +2.0%
2017 10.6% +0.0%
2018 10.3% -2.8%
2019 10.5% +1.8%
2020 10.0% -5.4%
2021 8.8% -11.3%
2022 9.5% +7.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.4% 2.1% 12.1% 10
2000s 10.3% 9.8% 10.7% 10
2010s 10.6% 10.3% 11.5% 10
2020s 9.4% 8.8% 10.0% 3

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 139 Austria 10.1% compare
  2. 140 Mongolia 9.9% compare
  3. 141 Colombia 9.8% compare
  4. 143 Moldova 9.5% compare
  5. 144 Mexico 9.2% compare
  6. 145 Sweden 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in Australia?
Compensation of employees in Australia was 9.5% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 1999.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1990.
How does Australia rank for compensation of employees?
Australia ranks 142nd out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Compensation of employees (% of expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Compensation of employees in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Compensation of employees (% of expense)
Unit
% of expense
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
196 places, 5,286 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Compensation of employees is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an enterprise to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.