Compensation of employees in North America
North America: Compensation of employees was 9.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Compensation of employees in North America, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2023, compensation of employees in North America stood at 9.2%.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compensation of employees in North America peaked at 18.6% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2020.
That places North America 41st out of 41 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Compensation of employees in North America, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 18.6% | — |
| 1973 | 17.5% | -5.6% |
| 1974 | 16.7% | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 14.9% | -10.7% |
| 1976 | 13.9% | -6.4% |
| 1977 | 13.5% | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 13.3% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 12.7% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 11.5% | -9.0% |
| 1981 | 11.3% | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 11.2% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 10.8% | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 10.7% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 10.7% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 10.4% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 10.3% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 10.1% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 10.0% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 9.7% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 9.5% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 9.2% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 9.0% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 8.8% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 8.9% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 9.5% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | +8.0% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 10.9% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 10.9% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 10.9% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 10.6% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 10.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 11.0% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 10.7% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 10.2% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 10.1% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 10.2% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 10.2% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 9.9% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -28.6% |
| 2021 | 7.9% | +12.6% |
| 2022 | 9.1% | +14.6% |
| 2023 | 9.2% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.1% | 12.7% | 18.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 10.8% | 10.4% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.5% | 8.8% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.6% | 9.5% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 9.9% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.0% | 9.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 38 Seychelles 37.3% compare
- 39 Senegal 37.1% compare
- 40 Sudan 36.8% compare
- 41 Zimbabwe 36.6% compare
- 42 Saint Kitts and Nevis 35.7% compare
- 43 Marshall Islands 35.3% compare
- 44 Dominican Republic 35.2% compare
More public sector data for North America
- Arms imports 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 56.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 2,692 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0325 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.03 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 48.39 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compensation of employees in North America?
- Compensation of employees in North America was 9.2% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 18.6% in 1972.
- What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2020.
- How does North America rank for compensation of employees?
- North America ranks 41st out of 41 groups with data for 2023.
- Is compensation of employees rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.