Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Italy
Italy: Compensation of employees (% of expense) was 10.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Compensation of employees in Italy, 1973–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Italy recorded 10.9% for compensation of employees in 2023.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Italy peaked at 18.9% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1986.
Italy ranks 137th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Italy, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 18.9% | — |
| 1974 | 18.0% | -4.8% |
| 1975 | 15.3% | -15.3% |
| 1976 | 14.8% | -3.3% |
| 1977 | 15.7% | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 12.9% | -17.8% |
| 1979 | 12.9% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 12.7% | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 10.2% | -19.4% |
| 1987 | 10.5% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 13.2% | +25.8% |
| 1989 | 12.7% | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 13.2% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 12.9% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 11.9% | -8.2% |
| 1993 | 11.4% | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 11.3% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 12.7% | +12.2% |
| 1996 | 13.5% | +6.5% |
| 1997 | 13.9% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 14.1% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 14.0% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 14.9% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 15.5% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 15.0% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 14.5% | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 14.2% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 14.3% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 13.5% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 13.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 13.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 13.5% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 13.5% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 11.2% | -4.4% |
| 2023 | 10.9% | -3.1% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 10.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 58% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Italy's 10.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 66% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Italy changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +25.8% | 10.5% | 13.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.5% | 12.9% | 18.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 11.9% | 10.2% | 13.2% | 5 |
| 1990s | 12.9% | 11.3% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.9% | 14.2% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 13.1% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.5% | 10.9% | 12.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More public sector data for Italy
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 566.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 7.33 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -10.93 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compensation of employees in Italy?
- Compensation of employees in Italy was 10.9% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1973.
- What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1986.
- How does Italy rank for compensation of employees?
- Italy ranks 137th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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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About this data
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.