Colombia: Compensation of employees (% of expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Colombia's compensation of employees (% of expense) rose 0.36 percentage points on 2022 (from 9.47% to 9.83%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was −0.45 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.67 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.78 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 10% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Colombia had the 70th highest value of the 79 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Colombia in the 2023 ranking

• Italy — 66th of 79: 10.89%
• Canada — 67th of 79: 10.23%
• Austria — 68th of 79: 10.07%
• Moldova — 70th of 79: 9.48%
• Mexico — 71st of 79: 9.2%
• Korea, Rep. — 72nd of 79: 8.79%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 20 values

Compensation of employees (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 12.91% (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 25.91% (2023)
• Barbados — 24.7% (2016)
• Belize — 52.38% (2017)
• Brazil — 6.58% (2023)
• Chile — 19.92% (2023)
• Costa Rica — 26.76% (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 35.16% (2023)
• Ecuador — 28.58% (2022)
• El Salvador — 40.94% (2023)

More public sector data for Colombia

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 22 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 14.5 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 58.75 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.2% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 9.29% (2025)
• Battle-related deaths (number of people) — 225 (2024)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 3.44 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 46.95 (2023)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 24.91 (2023)
• Armed forces personnel, total

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Colombia's compensation of employees (% of expense)?

9.83% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 33.54 percentage points from 43.37% in 1998. The highest value was 45.01% in 2000 and the lowest 7.83% in 2013.

How does Colombia rank?

70th highest of 79 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in compensation of employees (% of expense) unusual for Colombia?

In 2023, Colombia's compensation of employees (% of expense) rose 0.36 percentage points on 2022 (from 9.47% to 9.83%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was −0.45 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.COMP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.