Compensation of employees in Germany

Germany: Compensation of employees was 5.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
5.7%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
154th
of 155 countries
All-time high
12.0%
in 1972
All-time low
4.9%
in 1995
Years of data
51
1972–2022

Compensation of employees in Germany, 1972–2022

02.557.51012.5197219972022

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

Analysis

Germany recorded 5.7% for compensation of employees in 2022.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Germany peaked at 12.0% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1995.

Germany ranks 154th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Compensation of employees in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Germany, 1972 to 2022.
Year % of expense Change
1972 12.0%
1973 12.0% -0.3%
1974 11.7% -2.0%
1975 10.8% -7.7%
1976 10.3% -5.3%
1977 10.1% -1.9%
1978 9.9% -1.7%
1979 9.8% -1.4%
1980 9.4% -3.3%
1981 9.3% -1.8%
1982 9.0% -3.0%
1983 9.0% -0.1%
1984 8.6% -4.1%
1985 8.7% +0.7%
1986 8.7% +0.5%
1987 8.7% -0.5%
1988 8.5% -2.1%
1989 8.5% +0.5%
1990 8.2% -3.9%
1991 6.4% -21.7%
1992 6.4% -0.1%
1993 6.3% -1.7%
1994 6.1% -3.0%
1995 4.9% -19.2%
1996 5.9% +19.2%
1997 5.9% -0.4%
1998 5.8% -1.5%
1999 6.4% +11.0%
2000 6.4% -0.2%
2001 6.2% -3.2%
2002 6.2% -0.5%
2003 6.1% -1.1%
2004 6.1% +0.7%
2005 6.1% -1.3%
2006 6.1% +0.8%
2007 6.1% -0.1%
2008 6.2% +1.2%
2009 6.1% -0.7%
2010 6.0% -2.9%
2011 6.2% +4.5%
2012 6.3% +1.2%
2013 6.3% -0.1%
2014 6.3% +0.4%
2015 6.3% -0.2%
2016 6.3% -0.3%
2017 6.3% -0.2%
2018 6.4% +1.3%
2019 6.4% +0.6%
2020 5.9% -7.3%
2021 5.7% -4.1%
2022 5.7% +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 10.8% 9.8% 12.0% 8
1980s 8.8% 8.5% 9.4% 10
1990s 6.2% 4.9% 8.2% 10
2000s 6.2% 6.1% 6.4% 10
2010s 6.3% 6.0% 6.4% 10
2020s 5.8% 5.7% 5.9% 3

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 151 Brazil 6.6% compare
  2. 152 Spain 5.9% compare
  3. 153 Belgium 5.9% compare
  4. 155 Kazakhstan 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in Germany?
Compensation of employees in Germany was 5.7% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 1972.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1995.
How does Germany rank for compensation of employees?
Germany ranks 154th out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Germany 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 Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/germany/

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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.