Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Portugal
Portugal: Compensation of employees (% of expense) was 21.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Compensation of employees in Portugal, 1978–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 21.1% for compensation of employees in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Portugal peaked at 31.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 1986.
Portugal ranks 93rd of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 26.3% | — |
| 1979 | 26.1% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 25.6% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 23.9% | -6.8% |
| 1982 | 24.6% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 21.5% | -12.7% |
| 1984 | 22.7% | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 19.8% | -12.8% |
| 1986 | 19.2% | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 21.0% | +9.4% |
| 1988 | 22.5% | +7.2% |
| 1989 | 28.8% | +28.3% |
| 1990 | 29.0% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 29.7% | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 30.5% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 30.1% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 28.8% | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 29.2% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 30.2% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 30.0% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 30.5% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 31.4% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 30.8% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 31.1% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 30.5% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 29.9% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 29.7% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 28.4% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 27.3% | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 26.3% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 25.8% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 24.7% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 22.8% | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 20.7% | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 21.6% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 19.7% | -8.7% |
| 2015 | 20.4% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 20.8% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 21.6% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 22.0% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 20.9% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 21.1% | +0.8% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 21.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 21.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.2% | 26.1% | 26.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 23.0% | 19.2% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.8% | 28.8% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.1% | 25.8% | 31.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.6% | 19.7% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.1% | 20.9% | 21.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 90 Equatorial Guinea 21.7% compare
- 91 New Zealand 21.5% compare
- 92 Uzbekistan 21.3% compare
- 94 Turkey 20.9% compare
- 95 Albania 20.5% compare
- 96 Luxembourg 20.5% compare
More public sector data for Portugal
- 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 90.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 5.7 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 -8.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compensation of employees in Portugal?
- Compensation of employees in Portugal was 21.1% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 31.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 1986.
- How does Portugal rank for compensation of employees?
- Portugal ranks 93rd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.