Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Switzerland
Switzerland: Compensation of employees (% of expense) was 7.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Compensation of employees in Switzerland, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 7.0% for compensation of employees in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Switzerland peaked at 8.7% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1999.
Switzerland ranks 150th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 8.7% | — |
| 1973 | 8.0% | -8.5% |
| 1974 | 7.8% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 7.3% | -6.8% |
| 1976 | 6.7% | -7.7% |
| 1977 | 6.4% | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 6.5% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 6.5% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 6.5% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 6.8% | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 6.6% | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 7.4% | +15.7% |
| 1991 | 7.1% | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 7.2% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 6.7% | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 6.6% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 6.3% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | -5.4% |
| 1998 | 5.8% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 5.6% | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 6.4% | +9.2% |
| 2002 | 6.1% | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 6.8% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 6.8% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 6.9% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 6.9% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 7.0% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 7.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7.1% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 6.3% | -10.9% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | +10.2% |
| 2023 | 7.0% | +0.5% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 7.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 37% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 7.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 43% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.2% | 6.4% | 8.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 6.6% | 6.4% | 6.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 5.6% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 5.9% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.0% | 6.8% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.7% | 6.3% | 7.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More public sector data for Switzerland
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- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is compensation of employees in Switzerland?
- Compensation of employees in Switzerland was 7.0% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 1972.
- What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1999.
- How does Switzerland rank for compensation of employees?
- Switzerland ranks 150th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.