Compensation of employees in European Union

European Union: Compensation of employees was 15.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
15.6%
Change on year
up 3.4%
Rank
38th
of 41 groups
All-time high
16.3%
in 2019
All-time low
10.2%
in 1991
Years of data
46
1978–2023

Compensation of employees in European Union, 1978–2023

051015197820002023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for compensation of employees in European Union is 15.6%, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in European Union peaked at 16.3% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1991.

European Union ranks 38th of 41 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Compensation of employees in European Union, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in European Union, 1978 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1978 15.3%
1979 14.9% -2.3%
1980 13.5% -9.8%
1981 13.6% +1.2%
1982 13.3% -2.3%
1983 12.9% -3.1%
1984 12.5% -3.4%
1985 12.5% +0.5%
1986 11.4% -8.6%
1987 11.7% +2.6%
1988 12.8% +9.5%
1989 12.7% -0.8%
1990 12.4% -2.6%
1991 10.2% -17.8%
1992 11.8% +15.6%
1993 11.5% -2.5%
1994 11.3% -1.6%
1995 14.6% +29.5%
1996 14.3% -2.3%
1997 14.6% +2.5%
1998 16.2% +10.5%
1999 14.9% -7.8%
2000 15.0% +0.6%
2001 14.7% -2.1%
2002 14.9% +1.5%
2003 14.9% -0.3%
2004 15.1% +1.6%
2005 15.5% +2.5%
2006 15.0% -2.9%
2007 15.1% +0.7%
2008 14.5% -4.2%
2009 14.2% -2.3%
2010 14.1% -0.5%
2011 14.1% -0.1%
2012 13.7% -2.5%
2013 14.5% +5.6%
2014 14.4% -0.8%
2015 14.2% -1.3%
2016 14.8% +4.7%
2017 15.6% +4.8%
2018 15.8% +1.2%
2019 16.3% +3.5%
2020 15.2% -6.8%
2021 15.3% +0.8%
2022 15.1% -1.3%
2023 15.6% +3.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 15.1% 14.9% 15.3% 2
1980s 12.7% 11.4% 13.6% 10
1990s 13.2% 10.2% 16.2% 10
2000s 14.9% 14.2% 15.5% 10
2010s 14.7% 13.7% 16.3% 10
2020s 15.3% 15.1% 15.6% 4

Countries ranked near European Union

  1. 35 Guinea-Bissau 38.4% compare
  2. 36 Jamaica 38.0% compare
  3. 37 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 37.4% compare
  4. 38 Seychelles 37.3% compare
  5. 39 Senegal 37.1% compare
  6. 40 Sudan 36.8% compare
  7. 41 Zimbabwe 36.6% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for European Union

All data for European Union →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in European Union?
Compensation of employees in European Union was 15.6% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in European Union?
The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 2019.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1991.
How does European Union rank for compensation of employees?
European Union ranks 38th out of 41 groups with data for 2023.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this European Union 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 European Union. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/european-union/

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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.