Ecuador: Compensation of employees (% of expense)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 1.78 percentage points from 30.36% in 2017. Since 2013 it is up 1.93 percentage points from 26.65% in 2013.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ecuador's compensation of employees (% of expense) fell 0.64 percentage points on 2021 (from 29.22% to 28.58%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2021), the average change was +0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.65 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below 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 2.34 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.7 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.29 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 40% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2022, Ecuador had the 8th highest value of the 24 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 Ecuador in the 2022 ranking

• Lesotho — 4th of 24: 44.66%
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5th of 24: 37.39%
• Malawi — 6th of 24: 32.46%
• Ghana — 8th of 24: 28.3%
• Ireland — 9th of 24: 26.58%
• Equatorial Guinea — 10th of 24: 21.7%

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 10 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)
• Colombia — 9.83% (2023)
• Costa Rica — 26.76% (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 35.16% (2023)
• El Salvador — 40.94% (2023)

More public sector data for Ecuador

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 2.74 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 2.74 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.1% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 30 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 42,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.54% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.67% (2025)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 45.72 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 6.66 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

28.58% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is up 1.93 percentage points from 26.65% in 2013. The highest value was 30.91% in 2020 and the lowest 26.48% in 2014.

How does Ecuador rank?

8th highest of 24 economies with data for 2022.

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

In 2022, Ecuador's compensation of employees (% of expense) fell 0.64 percentage points on 2021 (from 29.22% to 28.58%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2021), the average change was +0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.65 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below 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.

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