This is a list of countries by public sector, calculated as the number of public sector employees as a percentage of the total workforce. Information is based mainly on data from the OECD[1][2][3] and the ILO.[4] If a source has figures for more than one year, only the most recent figure is used (with notes for exceptional circumstances). In the former Eastern Bloc countries, the public sector in 1989 accounted for between 70% to over 90% of total employment.[5] In China a full 100% of employees were employed in the public sector by 1978, the year the Chinese economic reform was launched, after which the rates dropped to 56.4% in 1995 and 32.8% in 2003.[6]
In OECD countries, the average public sector employment rate was 21.3% in 2013.[1]
Country | OECD (%)[1][2][3] | ILO (%)[4] [7] [8] | Other estimates (%) |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
16.6 (2013) | ||
![]() |
21.8 (2013) | 17.6 (World Bank publication, 2009)[9] | |
![]() |
20.4 (2012) | 18.0 (2012) | |
![]() |
15.2 (2014) | 15.1 (2014) | |
![]() |
25.9 (2013) | 21.7 (World Bank publication, 2009)[9] | |
![]() |
33.7 (2009) | ||
![]() |
8.0 (2010) | ||
![]() |
8.4*[lower-alpha 1] (Baldwin-Edwards, 2010)[10] | ||
![]() |
22.3 (2013) | ||
![]() |
50.6 (2013) | 72.0 (World Bank publication, 2010)[5], 40.1 (BelStat, 2017)[11] | |
![]() |
21.5 (2013) | 19.6 (2014) | |
![]() |
10.3 (2010) | ||
![]() |
17.8 (2012) | ||
![]() |
19.5 (2014) | ||
![]() |
12.1 (2013) | 20.0 (2014) | |
![]() |
24.5 (2013) | ||
![]() |
9.8 (2014) | ||
![]() |
22.4 (2013) | 19.9 (2014) | |
![]() |
14.0 (2013) | 11.5 (2013) | |
![]() |
50.0 (2012) | 29.3 (2004)[6] 50 (2011, Business Insider)[12] | |
![]() |
10.0 (2013) | 10.0 (2013) | |
![]() |
18.2 (2013) | ||
![]() |
31.7 (2013) | ||
![]() |
18.0 (2013) | 15.4 (2015) | |
![]() |
77.0 (2010) | ||
![]() |
32.9 (2011) | 31.4 (2014) | |
![]() |
12.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
19.0 (2013) | ||
![]() |
26.3 (2013) | ||
![]() |
11.0 (2013) | ||
![]() |
22.0 (2013) | 20.7 (2013) | |
![]() |
29.5 (2012) | ||
![]() |
27.0 (2013) | 24.7 (2013) | |
![]() |
28.0 (2013) | 24.9 (2014) | |
![]() |
17.4 (2014) | 21.1 (World Bank publication, 2009)[9] | |
![]() |
11.0 (2013) | ||
![]() |
15.3 (2012) | 12.9 (2013) | |
![]() |
14.6 (2012) | 11.2 (2013) | |
![]() |
11.5 (2014) | ||
![]() |
8.0 (2012) | ||
![]() |
9.0 (2012) | ||
![]() |
7.5 (2012) | ||
![]() |
24.8 (2012) | 24.8 (2012) | |
![]() |
3.80 (2014) | 4.7*[lower-alpha 2] (2002)[13] 3.80 (World Bank Data and Reserve Bank of India Data, 2012)[14][15] | |
![]() |
18.3 (2008) | ||
![]() |
19.5 (2014) | 17.9 (2014) | |
![]() |
20.7 (2007) | 18.5 (2014) | |
![]() |
18.3 (2013) | 16.0 (2013) | |
![]() |
12.9 (2014) | 10.9 (2014) | |
![]() |
33.1 (2004) | ||
![]() |
23.3 (2012) | 20.8 (World Bank publication, 2009)[9] | |
![]() |
44.6 (2008) | 18.5*[lower-alpha 1] (Baldwin-Edwards, 2008)[10] | |
![]() |
15.1 (World Bank publication, 2009)[9] | ||
![]() |
31.2 (2013) | 29.2 (2014) | |
![]() |
7.1 (2015) | ||
![]() |
24.0 (2013) | 24.0 (World Bank publication, 2010)[5] | |
![]() |
22.1 (2011) | ||
![]() |
6.5 (2014) | ||
![]() |
23.2 (2013) | ||
![]() |
11.0 (2012) | ||
![]() |
19.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
8.4 (2010) | ||
![]() |
13.8 (2013) | 11.5 (2014) | |
![]() |
36.0 (2014) | 41.0 (World Bank publication, 2010)[5] | |
![]() |
28.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
12.1 (2012) | ||
OECD | 21.3*[lower-alpha 3] (2013) | ||
![]() |
14.0*[lower-alpha 1] (Baldwin-Edwards, 2008)[10] | ||
![]() |
13.4 (2011) | 11.5 (2011) | |
![]() |
17.3 (2013) | 13.8 (2013) | |
![]() |
35.6 (2013) | 37.8 (2014) | |
![]() |
13.2 (2014) | ||
![]() |
9.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
10.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
10.9 (2014) | ||
![]() |
25.2 (2013) | 17.5 (2013) | 16.0 (World Bank publication, 2010)[5] |
![]() |
18.4 (2014) | 14.7 (2014) | |
![]() |
16.1 (2010) | 12.1*[lower-alpha 1] (Baldwin-Edwards, 2009)[10] | |
![]() |
16.2 (2013) | 15.3 (INS, 2015)[16] | |
![]() |
40.6 (2011) | ||
![]() |
35.3 | 35.3*[lower-alpha 1] (Baldwin-Edwards, 2008)[10] | |
![]() |
18.7 (2009) | ||
![]() |
8.7 (2011) | ||
![]() |
31.0 (2013) | ||
![]() |
36.8 (2011) | ||
![]() |
32.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
18.2 (2013) | 16.1 (2013) | |
![]() |
20.9 (2012) | 20.9 (2012) | |
![]() |
17.4 (2013) | 16.9 (2014) | |
![]() |
11.6 (2013) | 10.3 (2014) | |
![]() |
17.9 (2014) | 15.5 (2014) | |
![]() |
15.1 (2012) | ||
![]() |
29.9 (2013) | 26.0 (2015) | |
![]() |
18.0 (2014) | 13.8 (2014) | |
![]() |
33.0 (World Bank publication, 2010)[5] | ||
![]() |
7.5 (2013) | ||
![]() |
19.4 (2014) | ||
![]() |
15.9 (2011) | 13.3 (2014) | |
![]() |
26.7 (2012) | 26.5 (2013) | |
![]() |
21.5 (2013) | 21.5 (2013) | |
![]() |
17.6 [not included in dataset] (2013) | 15.8 (2014) | 19.2 (Mercatus publication, 2013)[17] |
![]() |
19.9 (2014) | ||
![]() |
29.0 (2014) | ||
![]() |
20.2 (2014) | ||
![]() |
9.7 (2013) | ||
![]() |
21.9 (2013) |