Namibia: Compensation of employees (% of expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Namibia's compensation of employees (% of expense) fell 4.08 percentage points on 2022 (from 42.86% to 38.78%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2022), the average change was −0.29 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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 4.61 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.41 percentage points in 2008. 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 21% 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, Namibia had the 13th 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 Namibia in the 2023 ranking

• El Salvador — 9th of 79: 40.94%
• Burkina Faso — 10th of 79: 40.71%
• Cambodia — 11th of 79: 38.95%
• Morocco — 13th of 79: 38.54%
• Dominican Republic — 14th of 79: 35.16%
• Philippines — 15th of 79: 35.04%

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 27 values

Compensation of employees (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Angola — 39.33% (2019)
• Botswana — 53.96% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 40.71% (2023)
• Burundi — 48.09% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 39.85% (2020)
• Cameroon — 34.67% (2021)
• Central African Republic — 49.9% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 37.39% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 25.9% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 23.34% (2023)

More public sector data for Namibia

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 410.52 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 7.34 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.77% (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 3.68 billion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 4.14% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 88.9 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 35.56% (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (current LCU) — 29.08 billion (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 32.72% (2024)
• Tax revenue (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

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

38.78% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is down 11.34 percentage points from 50.12% in 1991. The highest value was 52.62% in 1992 and the lowest 38.78% in 2023.

How does Namibia rank?

13th highest of 79 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Namibia's compensation of employees (% of expense) fell 4.08 percentage points on 2022 (from 42.86% to 38.78%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2022), the average change was −0.29 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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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