Ireland: Compensation of employees (% of expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ireland's compensation of employees (% of expense) rose 2 percentage points on 2021 (from 24.58% to 26.58%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.34 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.18 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 11.91 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.98 percentage points in 2010. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 6% 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 2022, Ireland had the 9th 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 Ireland in the 2022 ranking

• Malawi — 6th of 24: 32.46%
• Ecuador — 7th of 24: 28.58%
• Ghana — 8th of 24: 28.3%
• Equatorial Guinea — 10th of 24: 21.7%
• New Zealand — 11th of 24: 21.55%
• Hungary — 12th of 24: 19.05%

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 51 values

Compensation of employees (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Albania — 20.53% (2023)
• Armenia — 19.33% (2023)
• Austria — 10.07% (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 14.23% (2022)
• Belarus — 14.06% (2023)
• Belgium — 5.87% (2022)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 25.77% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 18.02% (2023)
• Croatia — 14.53% (2023)
• Cyprus — 27.44% (2023)

More public sector data for Ireland

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.55 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 1.38 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.22% (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 10.02 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.78% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — 24.8 billion (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — 4.41% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 22.5 billion (2024)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 15.57% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

26.58% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 10.72 percentage points from 15.86% in 1972. The highest value was 27.57% in 2007 and the lowest 12.57% in 1988.

How does Ireland rank?

9th highest of 24 economies with data for 2022.

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

In 2022, Ireland's compensation of employees (% of expense) rose 2 percentage points on 2021 (from 24.58% to 26.58%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.34 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.18 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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.

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