Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD): Compensation of employees (% of expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD)'s compensation of employees (% of expense) fell 3.45 percentage points on 2022 (from 27.95% to 24.5%).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.31 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.11 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 17% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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 32 values

Compensation of employees (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 33.95% (2017)
• Bahrain — 39.5% (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 27.2% (2015)
• Israel — 22.43% (2023)
• Jordan — 46% (2023)
• Lebanon — 32.12% (2021)
• Malta — 26.9% (2023)
• Morocco — 38.54% (2023)
• Saudi Arabia — 48.55% (2023)
• United Arab Emirates — 32.16% (2023)

More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD)

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 73.39 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.07% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 782 million (2025)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 32.6% (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 3.6% (2024)
• Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue) — 29.14% (2024)
• Interest payments (% of revenue) — 13.9% (2024)
• Interest payments (% of expense)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD)'s compensation of employees (% of expense)?

24.5% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 0.46 percentage points from 24.04% in 1990. The highest value was 35.34% in 1991 and the lowest 24.04% in 1990.

Is the latest change in compensation of employees (% of expense) unusual for Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD)?

In 2023, Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD)'s compensation of employees (% of expense) fell 3.45 percentage points on 2022 (from 27.95% to 24.5%). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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