The Worldwide Bureaucracy Indicators (WWBI) is a pioneering cross-national dataset developed by the Bureaucracy Lab, a collaboration between DEC Development Impact and the Governance Global Department. WWBI fills a critical information gap by providing robust, harmonized data on public sector employment and wages across 202 economies. Derived from labor force and household surveys, WWBI offers an objective lens on the personnel dimensions of state capability, the footprint of the public sector in labor markets, and the fiscal implications of wage bills.
WWBI features 302 indicators grouped into five categories: demographics of public and private sector workforces, public sector wage premiums, relative wages and pay compression ratios, gender pay gaps in the public sector, and the public sector wage bill. These indicators enable users to analyze the size and composition of the public sector workforce (by age, gender, industry, occupation, education, and income), compare wage competitiveness and differentials, assess gender disparities, and evaluate the structure and affordability of the public sector wage bill.
Explore the WWBI Dashboard
The recently launched WWBI Dashboard is an interactive application that brings the dataset to life. Accessible at WWBI Dashboard, it allows users to:
- Visualize Core Indicators: Explore graphical representations of key metrics across countries and years.
- Custom Reporting: Generate tailored reports focusing on selected countries, regions and indicators.
- Facilitate Analysis: Conduct benchmark analysis on workforce demographics, wage competitiveness, gender pay gaps, and wage bill structures across countries and regions.
- User-Friendly Interface: Filter, select, and compare data by country, region, indicator, and time period.
Who’s the WWBI dashboard for?
Whether you’re a researcher uncovering trends, a policymaker shaping reforms, a development practitioner driving change, or part of an international organization seeking global benchmarks—WWBI puts powerful, harmonized data at your fingertips. Dive into cross-country comparisons, track shifts over time, and unlock evidence-based insights to inform smarter decisions about public sector employment and compensation.
The dashboard is ideal for anyone needing quick, visual insights into public sector employment and compensation trends, supporting policy formulation, benchmarking, and research. With its interactive features, users can easily identify patterns and trends, making the WWBI dashboard a powerful tool for understanding and improving public administration performance.
