Compensation of employees in Singapore

Singapore: Compensation of employees was 18.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
18.8%
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
104th
of 155 countries
All-time high
44.0%
in 1994
All-time low
14.3%
in 2020
Years of data
52
1972–2023

Compensation of employees in Singapore, 1972–2023

10203040197219972023

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

Analysis

Singapore recorded 18.8% for compensation of employees in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.5% on the previous year and down 36.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Singapore peaked at 44.0% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2020.

Singapore ranks 104th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.

Compensation of employees in Singapore, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Singapore, 1972 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1972 41.3%
1973 38.4% -6.9%
1974 40.3% +4.9%
1975 40.0% -0.7%
1976 39.7% -0.7%
1977 38.2% -3.8%
1978 39.8% +4.0%
1979 39.5% -0.6%
1980 36.9% -6.7%
1981 35.9% -2.8%
1982 37.1% +3.5%
1983 36.9% -0.6%
1984 35.2% -4.5%
1985 41.4% +17.7%
1986 29.8% -28.2%
1987 23.0% -22.8%
1988 31.6% +37.3%
1989 31.5% -0.2%
1990 31.4% -0.3%
1991 28.1% -10.5%
1992 29.6% +5.1%
1993 31.1% +5.3%
1994 44.0% +41.3%
1995 38.7% -12.1%
1996 29.0% -24.9%
1997 34.2% +17.8%
1998 30.6% -10.6%
1999 32.4% +5.9%
2000 29.3% -9.5%
2001 27.4% -6.6%
2002 31.0% +13.1%
2003 30.6% -1.1%
2004 31.1% +1.6%
2005 34.0% +9.3%
2006 28.3% -16.8%
2007 32.1% +13.7%
2008 27.2% -15.5%
2009 27.0% -0.5%
2010 30.4% +12.5%
2011 27.2% -10.6%
2012 28.7% +5.7%
2013 29.6% +3.2%
2014 28.7% -3.3%
2015 23.8% -16.8%
2016 26.6% +11.6%
2017 26.5% -0.4%
2018 24.8% -6.3%
2019 24.5% -1.5%
2020 14.3% -41.6%
2021 20.7% +44.7%
2022 20.1% -2.8%
2023 18.8% -6.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 39.7% 38.2% 41.3% 8
1980s 33.9% 23.0% 41.4% 10
1990s 32.9% 28.1% 44.0% 10
2000s 29.8% 27.0% 34.0% 10
2010s 27.1% 23.8% 30.4% 10
2020s 18.5% 14.3% 20.7% 4

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 101 Hungary 19.1% compare
  2. 102 Romania 19.0% compare
  3. 103 Sri Lanka 18.9% compare
  4. 105 Greece 18.4% compare
  5. 106 Kenya 18.4% compare
  6. 107 Bulgaria 18.0% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in Singapore?
Compensation of employees in Singapore was 18.8% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 44.0% in 1994.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2020.
How does Singapore rank for compensation of employees?
Singapore ranks 104th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Singapore 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 Singapore. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/singapore/

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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.