2026 edition

Global Employer Burden Index 2026

Name: Global Employer Burden Index 2026
Published: 2026
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

What it really costs and takes to employ someone, scored across 192 countries from sourced statutory data. Higher score means a heavier employer burden.

Bolivia is the most expensive country in the world to employ someone. The United States is one of the cheapest — 161st of 192.

In Bolivia, employers add ~28% in social contributions on top of some of the world’s longest statutory severance and notice. In the US: no federal statutory severance or notice, and ~8% in contributions.

192

Countries scored

Statutory pillars

Bolivia

Heaviest burden

New Zealand

Lightest burden

Robbin Schuchmann

Co-founder, Employ Borderless

Updated July 2026

The global picture

Every scored country, shaded by composite burden — darker is heavier. Grey countries aren’t scored; we show coverage rather than fill gaps.

Composite0–2020–4040–6060–8080–100No data

Key findings

Bolivia carries the heaviest employer burden

It ranks 1st of 192 scored countries, combining high employer social contributions with long statutory severance and notice.

The United States ranks 161st of 192

With no federal statutory severance or notice and comparatively low employer social contributions, the US sits among the world’s lightest employer burdens.

38 countries have no statutory severance

Where the law sets no minimum severance, the cost of ending an employment relationship falls to notice, contract, and negotiation instead.

Europe is the heaviest region on average

Its 47 scored countries average 51.9 on the composite, against 28.3 for Oceania — the lightest region.

English-speaking economies cluster at the light end

United Kingdom (#91), Ireland (#99), Canada (#114), Australia (#142), United States (#161), New Zealand (#167). 5 of 6 sit in the lighter half — statutory employer burden stays low across the Anglosphere even where total labour costs run high.

The heaviest and lightest places to employ

Composite score from 0 to 100 — higher is a heavier statutory employer burden. The 15 heaviest and 10 lightest of 192 scored countries; the United States is highlighted.

Composite0–2020–4040–6060–8080–100

Full ranking

All 192 scored countries. Pillar scores are 0 to 100 (percent-rank within this edition); raw values are the sourced statutory inputs behind them. The last four columns (employee SSC, 13th salary, annual leave, maternity) are collected context — not part of the score.

Rank	Country	Composite	Employer cost	Severance	Notice	Employer SSC	Severance wks	Notice wks	Employee SSC	13th salary	Annual leave	Maternity
1	Bolivia	91	93	84	96	27.7%	23.1 wk	12.9 wk	12.2%	Mandatory	15 d	12.9 wk
2	Argentina	86	93	84	70	28.3%	23.1 wk	7.2 wk	17%	Mandatory	14 d	12.9 wk
3	Belarus	85	99	65	79	34.3%	13 wk	8.7 wk	1%	No	24 d	174.4 wk
4	Czechia	83	98	61	79	33.8%	11.6 wk	8.7 wk	11.6%	No	20 d	28 wk
5	Vietnam	82	83	92	67	21.5%	24.6 wk	6.4 wk	10.5%	Customary	12 d	26 wk
6	Egypt	82	76	94	79	18.8%	26.7 wk	8.7 wk	11%	No	21 d	17.1 wk
7	Moldova	81	89	71	79	24%	15 wk	8.7 wk	9%	No	28 d	166.4 wk
8	Slovakia	78	97	37	95	32.2%	7.2 wk	11.6 wk	13.4%	No	-	34 wk
9	Nepal	77	94	82	28	30%	22.9 wk	4.3 wk	21%	No	-	14 wk
10	Turkey	77	76	84	69	18.5%	23.1 wk	6.7 wk	15%	No	-	16 wk
11	Germany	77	82	61	90	20.9%	11.6 wk	10 wk	21.5%	No	20 d	14 wk
12	China	76	91	84	28	26.5%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	19%	No	5 d	14 wk
13	Equatorial Guinea	76	83	98	28	21.5%	34.3 wk	4.3 wk	4.5%	-	30 d	12 wk
13	Russia	76	95	44	79	30.2%	8.7 wk	8.7 wk	0%	No	-	87.9 wk
14	Brazil	75	94	49	69	28.8%	8.9 wk	6.6 wk	14%	Mandatory	22 d	17.1 wk
15	Morocco	74	80	68	70	20.1%	13.4 wk	7.2 wk	6.7%	No	-	14 wk
15	Tajikistan	74	78	65	79	20%	13 wk	8.7 wk	2%	-	-	87.9 wk
16	Portugal	74	87	50	75	23.8%	9.1 wk	7.9 wk	11%	Mandatory	22 d	6 wk
17	France	74	100	33	70	36.3%	5.8 wk	7.2 wk	11.3%	No	25 d	16 wk
18	Sudan	73	86	81	28	23%	21.7 wk	4.3 wk	12%	-	-	8 wk
19	Spain	72	95	72	14	30.6%	15.2 wk	2.1 wk	6.5%	Mandatory	30 d	16 wk
20	Costa Rica	71	90	70	28	24.6%	14.4 wk	4.3 wk	9.8%	Mandatory	12 d	17.3 wk
21	Estonia	71	98	22	78	33.8%	4.3 wk	8.6 wk	1.6%	No	28 d	14.3 wk
22	Paraguay	71	58	78	93	14%	18.6 wk	10.8 wk	9%	Mandatory	-	18 wk
23	Albania	70	72	55	90	16.7%	10.7 wk	10.1 wk	11.2%	No	-	52.1 wk
24	New Caledonia	70	100	20	70	36.5%	2.2 wk	7.2 wk	-	-	-	-
25	Algeria	70	90	65	28	25.3%	13 wk	4.3 wk	9%	-	30 d	21.4 wk
25	Azerbaijan	70	89	41	66	24.5%	7.4 wk	6.3 wk	5.5%	No	21 d	166.4 wk
26	Aruba	70	91	29	79	25.3%	5.3 wk	8.7 wk	9.6%	-	15 d	-
27	Gambia	68	41	93	100	11%	26 wk	26 wk	5%	-	-	25.7 wk
27	Iran	68	86	84	0	23%	23.1 wk	0 wk	7%	Mandatory	26 d	38.6 wk
28	Sweden	68	96	0	98	31.4%	0 wk	14.4 wk	7.0%	No	25 d	12.9 wk
29	South Sudan	67	72	84	28	17%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	-	-	-	12.9 wk
30	Sierra Leone	67	35	100	96	10%	62.5 wk	13 wk	5%	-	-	14 wk
31	Gabon	66	80	26	93	20.1%	4.6 wk	10.8 wk	4.5%	-	24 d	14 wk
31	Malaysia	66	60	76	69	14.4%	17.2 wk	6.7 wk	11.7%	No	8 d	14 wk
31	Republic of the Congo	66	81	35	79	20.3%	6.9 wk	8.7 wk	4%	-	-	15 wk
32	Sri Lanka	66	62	100	28	15%	54.2 wk	4.3 wk	8%	No	-	12 wk
33	Senegal	66	88	55	28	23.9%	10.5 wk	4.3 wk	13.1%	Customary	-	14 wk
34	Belgium	66	92	0	100	27.2%	0 wk	19.7 wk	14.0%	Customary	20 d	15 wk
35	Poland	66	69	44	90	16.3%	8.7 wk	10.1 wk	17.8%	No	20 d	20 wk
36	Qatar	65	58	74	70	14%	16 wk	7.2 wk	7%	No	-	7.1 wk
37	Madagascar	65	75	49	64	18%	8.9 wk	5.8 wk	2%	-	30 d	14 wk
38	Ukraine	64	84	22	79	22%	4.3 wk	8.7 wk	0%	No	-	18 wk
39	Greece	64	84	74	0	21.8%	15.9 wk	0 wk	13.4%	Mandatory	20 d	56 wk
40	Central African Republic	63	78	61	28	19%	11.6 wk	4.3 wk	3%	-	-	14 wk
41	Togo	62	85	48	28	22.5%	8.8 wk	4.3 wk	9%	-	-	14 wk
42	Latvia	62	87	44	28	23.6%	8.7 wk	4.3 wk	10.5%	No	20 d	16 wk
43	Bahrain	62	82	51	28	21%	9.3 wk	4.3 wk	8%	No	30 d	8.6 wk
43	Kyrgyzstan	62	74	65	28	17.3%	13 wk	4.3 wk	10%	-	-	18 wk
44	Croatia	61	70	37	75	16.5%	7.2 wk	7.9 wk	20%	No	20 d	30 wk
45	Dominican Republic	61	63	82	25	15.4%	22.2 wk	4 wk	5.9%	Mandatory	14 d	14 wk
46	Guinea-Bissau	61	67	93	0	16%	26 wk	0 wk	8%	-	-	12.9 wk
47	Philippines	61	60	84	28	14.5%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	9.5%	Mandatory	5 d	15 wk
48	Ghana	60	53	98	20	13%	46.2 wk	3.6 wk	5.5%	No	15 d	12 wk
48	Tunisia	60	64	76	28	15.4%	17.2 wk	4.3 wk	8.8%	-	-	4.3 wk
49	Italy	60	96	0	60	31.6%	0 wk	4.5 wk	9.5%	Mandatory	20 d	21.7 wk
49	Nicaragua	60	78	70	0	20%	14.9 wk	0 wk	7%	Mandatory	-	13 wk
50	Kuwait	60	39	71	96	10.5%	15.1 wk	13 wk	8%	No	30 d	10 wk
51	Saudi Arabia	60	46	72	78	11.8%	15.2 wk	8.6 wk	10%	No	21 d	12 wk
52	Ethiopia	60	41	79	79	11%	19 wk	8.7 wk	7%	No	16 d	17.1 wk
53	Oman	59	56	84	28	13.5%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	8%	No	-	14 wk
54	El Salvador	59	68	82	0	16.3%	22.9 wk	0 wk	10.3%	Mandatory	15 d	16 wk
55	Finland	59	81	0	90	20.5%	0 wk	10.1 wk	9.5%	Customary	25 d	6.7 wk
56	Chad	58	70	33	68	16.5%	5.8 wk	6.5 wk	3.5%	-	24 d	14 wk
57	Niger	58	69	61	28	16.4%	11.6 wk	4.3 wk	5.3%	-	-	14 wk
58	Lebanon	58	85	0	79	22.5%	0 wk	8.7 wk	3%	-	15 d	10 wk
59	Mali	58	74	51	28	17.9%	9.3 wk	4.3 wk	6.7%	-	30 d	14 wk
60	Yemen	58	53	84	28	13%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	7%	-	-	10 wk
61	Mauritania	57	78	42	28	20%	7.6 wk	4.3 wk	5%	-	18 d	14 wk
62	Ivory Coast	57	64	40	64	15.4%	7.3 wk	5.8 wk	6.3%	Customary	-	14 wk
63	Libya	57	59	72	28	14.3%	15.2 wk	4.3 wk	5.1%	-	30 d	14 wk
64	Slovenia	57	71	29	61	16.6%	5.3 wk	5.3 wk	24.1%	Mandatory	-	15 wk
65	Cape Verde	55	62	72	14	15%	15.2 wk	2.1 wk	7.5%	-	-	12.9 wk
66	Luxembourg	54	57	22	98	13.7%	4.3 wk	17.3 wk	12.3%	No	26 d	20 wk
67	Taiwan	54	61	61	24	14.6%	11.6 wk	3.8 wk	2.4%	No	15 d	8 wk
68	Uzbekistan	54	49	44	79	12.1%	8.7 wk	8.7 wk	0.1%	No	-	114.3 wk
69	Cameroon	53	53	27	95	12.9%	4.7 wk	11.6 wk	4.2%	Customary	-	14 wk
70	Panama	53	60	77	0	14.5%	18.1 wk	0 wk	9.8%	Mandatory	-	14 wk
71	Guinea	53	75	33	28	18%	5.8 wk	4.3 wk	5%	-	30 d	14 wk
72	South Korea	53	44	84	28	11.1%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	9.4%	Customary	-	12.9 wk
73	Netherlands	52	51	37	79	12.6%	7.2 wk	8.7 wk	10.0%	No	20 d	16 wk
73	Syria	52	73	0	79	17.1%	0 wk	8.7 wk	7%	-	-	17.1 wk
74	Benin	52	69	40	28	16.4%	7.3 wk	4.3 wk	3.6%	-	24 d	14 wk
75	Andorra	52	65	52	19	15.5%	9.5 wk	3.4 wk	6.5%	-	30 d	-
76	Honduras	51	24	84	70	7%	23.1 wk	7.2 wk	3.5%	Mandatory	10 d	12 wk
77	Rwanda	51	52	65	28	12.8%	13 wk	4.3 wk	10.8%	No	-	14 wk
78	Hungary	51	53	37	65	13%	7.2 wk	6.2 wk	18.5%	No	20 d	24 wk
79	Pakistan	51	41	82	28	11%	22.9 wk	4.3 wk	1%	No	-	16 wk
80	Bulgaria	51	77	22	28	18.9%	4.3 wk	4.3 wk	13.8%	No	-	58.6 wk
81	Laos	50	17	95	67	6%	27.7 wk	6.4 wk	5.5%	-	15 d	15 wk
81	Trinidad and Tobago	50	33	69	67	8.8%	14.1 wk	6.4 wk	4.4%	No	-	14 wk
82	Zimbabwe	50	11	84	94	4.5%	23.1 wk	11.5 wk	4.5%	-	-	14 wk
83	Liechtenstein	50	68	0	79	16.1%	0 wk	8.7 wk	13.9%	-	20 d	-
84	Burkina Faso	49	67	34	28	16%	6.1 wk	4.3 wk	5.5%	-	-	14 wk
84	Uruguay	49	50	80	0	12.5%	20.8 wk	0 wk	19.5%	Mandatory	14 d	14 wk
85	San Marino	49	97	0	0	33.5%	0 wk	0 wk	8.4%	-	-	90 wk
86	Austria	49	92	0	12	27.6%	0 wk	2 wk	17.9%	Customary	25 d	16 wk
87	Guatemala	48	40	95	0	10.7%	27 wk	0 wk	4.8%	Mandatory	15 d	12 wk
88	Ecuador	48	38	96	0	10.4%	31.8 wk	0 wk	8.7%	Mandatory	15 d	12 wk
89	Indonesia	48	38	97	0	10.2%	33.2 wk	0 wk	4%	Mandatory	12 d	13 wk
90	Vanuatu	48	9	84	89	4%	23.1 wk	9.3 wk	4%	-	-	12 wk
91	United Kingdom	47	57	21	61	13.7%	4 wk	5.3 wk	5.6%	No	28 d	39 wk
92	Antigua and Barbuda	46	47	64	19	12%	12.8 wk	3.4 wk	10%	-	12 d	14 wk
92	India	46	47	59	28	12%	11.4 wk	4.3 wk	12.8%	Mandatory	12 d	26 wk
93	Barbados	46	46	64	22	11.8%	12.5 wk	3.7 wk	10.6%	No	15 d	12 wk
93	Isle of Man	46	52	27	61	12.8%	5 wk	5.3 wk	11%	-	-	-
94	Dominica	46	26	51	90	7.3%	9.3 wk	10.1 wk	6.5%	-	10 d	12 wk
95	Mexico	45	40	81	0	10.8%	22 wk	0 wk	1.4%	Mandatory	12 d	12 wk
96	Serbia	44	63	43	0	15.2%	7.7 wk	0 wk	19.9%	No	-	52.1 wk
97	Zambia	44	17	98	28	6%	46.2 wk	4.3 wk	6%	No	24 d	14 wk
98	Burundi	43	33	37	79	9%	7.2 wk	8.7 wk	4%	-	-	12 wk
99	Ireland	43	44	55	22	11.2%	10.7 wk	3.7 wk	4.1%	No	20 d	26 wk
100	Norway	42	53	0	79	13%	0 wk	8.7 wk	7.7%	No	21 d	18 wk
101	Malawi	42	35	63	28	10%	12.3 wk	4.3 wk	5%	-	15 d	8 wk
102	São Tomé and Príncipe	42	17	93	28	6%	26 wk	4.3 wk	4%	-	-	12.9 wk
103	DR Congo	42	53	0	74	13%	0 wk	7.3 wk	5%	-	12 d	14 wk
103	Israel	42	22	84	28	6.3%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	8.8%	No	-	15 wk
104	Angola	41	29	69	28	8%	13.6 wk	4.3 wk	3%	Mandatory	22 d	12.9 wk
105	Thailand	40	12	96	28	5%	31.7 wk	4.3 wk	5%	No	10 d	13 wk
106	Iraq	40	47	55	0	12%	10.7 wk	0 wk	5%	-	-	14 wk
107	Mozambique	39	9	97	28	4%	33.2 wk	4.3 wk	3%	-	-	12.9 wk
108	Singapore	39	72	0	15	17%	0 wk	3 wk	20%	Customary	7 d	16 wk
109	Djibouti	39	66	0	28	15.7%	0 wk	4.3 wk	6%	-	30 d	26 wk
110	Haiti	38	41	0	90	11%	0 wk	10.1 wk	9%	-	13 d	12 wk
111	Japan	38	65	0	28	15.7%	0 wk	4.3 wk	14.7%	Customary	10 d	14 wk
112	Liberia	38	17	80	28	6%	21.3 wk	4.3 wk	4%	-	10 d	14 wk
113	Cambodia	38	11	59	75	4.1%	11.4 wk	7.9 wk	3.3%	-	-	12.9 wk
114	Canada	38	35	27	61	9.6%	5 wk	5 wk	6.8%	No	10 d	16 wk
115	Mongolia	37	50	22	28	12.2%	4.3 wk	4.3 wk	11.8%	No	15 d	173.6 wk
116	Bosnia and Herzegovina	37	47	37	12	12%	7.2 wk	2 wk	31.5%	No	20 d	52.1 wk
117	Timor-Leste	36	17	79	20	6%	20.2 wk	3.6 wk	-	-	-	12 wk
118	Solomon Islands	35	26	55	28	7.5%	10.7 wk	4.3 wk	5%	-	-	12 wk
119	Cyprus	35	45	0	63	11.2%	0 wk	5.7 wk	10.9%	Customary	20 d	22 wk
119	Jordan	35	59	0	28	14.3%	0 wk	4.3 wk	7.5%	No	14 d	10 wk
120	Grenada	35	24	29	70	7%	5.3 wk	7.2 wk	5%	-	15 d	12.9 wk
121	Papua New Guinea	34	31	50	18	8.4%	9.2 wk	3.3 wk	6%	-	-	0 wk
121	Peru	34	33	59	0	9%	11.4 wk	0 wk	13%	Mandatory	30 d	14 wk
122	Uganda	33	35	0	79	10%	0 wk	8.7 wk	5%	No	-	12 wk
123	Myanmar	33	8	78	28	3%	18.8 wk	4.3 wk	2%	-	-	14 wk
124	Chile	33	4	84	28	0.4%	23.1 wk	4.3 wk	7%	Mandatory	15 d	18 wk
124	Tanzania	33	39	29	25	10.5%	5.3 wk	4 wk	10%	No	-	12 wk
125	Kosovo	33	32	37	28	8.5%	7.2 wk	4.3 wk	8.5%	-	-	38.6 wk
126	Malta	32	35	0	74	10%	0 wk	7.3 wk	10%	Mandatory	24 d	18 wk
127	Eswatini	32	12	44	65	5%	8.7 wk	5.9 wk	5%	-	10 d	2 wk
127	Jersey	32	23	27	61	6.5%	5 wk	5.3 wk	6%	-	15 d	-
128	Guyana	32	31	36	28	8.4%	7 wk	4.3 wk	5.6%	-	12 d	13 wk
129	Fiji	32	35	29	28	10%	5.3 wk	4.3 wk	8%	-	10 d	14 wk
130	Kenya	32	17	59	28	6%	11.4 wk	4.3 wk	8.8%	No	21 d	12.9 wk
131	British Virgin Islands	31	30	35	28	8.3%	6.9 wk	4.3 wk	7.8%	-	-	-
132	United Arab Emirates	31	50	0	28	12.5%	0 wk	4.3 wk	5%	No	30 d	8.6 wk
133	Saint Lucia	30	12	68	22	5%	13.3 wk	3.7 wk	5%	-	-	13 wk
134	Iceland	30	22	0	96	6.3%	0 wk	13 wk	0.1%	No	24 d	26 wk
135	Bangladesh	30	0	82	28	0%	22.9 wk	4.3 wk	0%	Customary	-	16 wk
136	Switzerland	29	23	0	90	6.4%	0 wk	10.1 wk	6.4%	Customary	20 d	14 wk
137	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	28	15	53	25	5.5%	10 wk	4 wk	4.5%	-	-	13 wk
138	Bermuda	28	12	55	28	5%	10.7 wk	4.3 wk	5%	-	10 d	-
139	Suriname	27	26	48	0	7.5%	8.8 wk	0 wk	3.5%	-	-	16 wk
140	Bahamas	27	16	55	12	5.9%	10.7 wk	2 wk	3.9%	No	10 d	12 wk
141	Kazakhstan	27	30	22	28	8.1%	4.3 wk	4.3 wk	12%	No	24 d	88.3 wk
142	Australia	27	21	44	15	6.1%	8.7 wk	3 wk	0%	No	20 d	2 wk
142	Botswana	27	0	75	20	0%	16.8 wk	3.5 wk	0%	No	-	12 wk
142	Nigeria	27	47	0	17	12%	0 wk	3.2 wk	10.5%	No	6 d	12 wk
143	Maldives	26	24	0	70	7%	0 wk	7.2 wk	-	-	30 d	8.6 wk
144	Belize	25	0	44	60	0%	8.3 wk	4.7 wk	0%	-	10 d	14 wk
145	Jamaica	25	8	53	25	3%	10 wk	4 wk	3%	No	-	8 wk
146	North Macedonia	25	6	54	28	1.2%	10.1 wk	4.3 wk	26.3%	No	-	38.6 wk
147	Montenegro	24	17	35	28	6%	6.9 wk	4.3 wk	15.5%	No	20 d	52.1 wk
148	Saint Kitts and Nevis	24	17	0	79	6%	0 wk	8.7 wk	5%	-	-	13 wk
149	Samoa	24	41	0	18	11%	0 wk	3.3 wk	11%	-	-	4 wk
150	Seychelles	24	12	42	28	5%	7.6 wk	4.3 wk	5%	-	-	16 wk
151	Colombia	23	0	75	0	0%	16.7 wk	0 wk	0%	Mandatory	15 d	18 wk
151	Marshall Islands	23	45	0	0	11.5%	0 wk	0 wk	11.5%	-	-	0 wk
152	Armenia	22	0	22	79	0%	4.3 wk	8.7 wk	5%	No	20 d	114.3 wk
152	Denmark	22	5	0	99	0.7%	0 wk	18.8 wk	0%	No	25 d	22 wk
153	Lithuania	22	6	44	28	1.8%	8.7 wk	4.3 wk	19.5%	No	20 d	18 wk
154	Bhutan	21	12	0	77	5%	0 wk	8.3 wk	5%	-	18 d	8.6 wk
155	Mauritius	21	15	26	28	5.5%	4.6 wk	4.3 wk	2.5%	-	20 d	16 wk
156	Lesotho	21	0	55	20	0%	10.7 wk	3.6 wk	0%	-	12 d	12 wk
157	Kiribati	18	26	0	22	7.5%	0 wk	3.7 wk	7.5%	-	-	12 wk
158	Hong Kong	17	12	20	28	5%	1.4 wk	4.3 wk	5%	No	10 d	14 wk
159	Palau	17	34	0	0	9.5%	0 wk	0 wk	9.5%	-	-	0 wk
159	South Africa	17	7	29	25	2%	5.3 wk	4 wk	1%	No	15 d	0 wk
160	Georgia	15	7	22	28	2%	4.3 wk	4.3 wk	2%	No	24 d	26.1 wk
161	Guernsey	15	24	0	15	6.8%	0 wk	3 wk	7%	-	-	-
161	United States	15	29	0	0	8.1%	0 wk	0 wk	7.7%	No	0 d	0 wk
162	Namibia	15	5	29	17	0.9%	5.3 wk	3.2 wk	0.9%	No	-	12 wk
163	Puerto Rico	14	28	0	0	7.7%	0 wk	0 wk	-	Mandatory	-	8 wk
164	Micronesia	13	26	0	0	7.5%	0 wk	0 wk	7.5%	-	-	0 wk
165	Romania	9	8	0	25	2.3%	0 wk	4 wk	35%	No	-	18 wk
166	Brunei	3	0	0	15	0%	0 wk	3 wk	8.5%	No	-	13 wk
167	New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0%	0 wk	0 wk	0%	No	-	26 wk

Excluded countries

58 countries are not scored because they lack a sourced value for one or more of the three statutory pillars. We list them rather than fill the gaps with estimates.

Country	Missing data
Afghanistan	employer_ssc_rate
Åland Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
American Samoa	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Anguilla	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Antarctica	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Bouvet Island	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
British Indian Ocean Territory	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Caribbean Netherlands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Cayman Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Christmas Island	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Comoros	employer_ssc_rate
Cook Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Cuba	severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Curaçao	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Eritrea	employer_ssc_rate
Falkland Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Faroe Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
French Guiana	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
French Polynesia	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Gibraltar	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Greenland	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Guadeloupe	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Guam	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Heard Island and McDonald Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Macau	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Martinique	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Mayotte	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Monaco	severance_weeks
Montserrat	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Nauru	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Niue	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Norfolk Island	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
North Korea	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Northern Mariana Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Palestine	employer_ssc_rate
Pitcairn Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Réunion	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Saint Barthélemy	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Saint Martin	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Sint Maarten	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Somalia	employer_ssc_rate
South Georgia	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Svalbard and Jan Mayen	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Tokelau	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Tonga	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Turkmenistan	severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Turks and Caicos Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Tuvalu	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
United States Minor Outlying Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
United States Virgin Islands	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Vatican City	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Venezuela	severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Wallis and Futuna	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks
Western Sahara	employer_ssc_rate, severance_weeks, notice_weeks

Use the dataset

The full ranking, pillar scores, and sourced statutory inputs are open data under CC BY 4.0. Reuse it freely with attribution.

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Cite this dataset

Schuchmann, R. (2026). Global Employer Burden Index 2026 [Data set]. Employ Borderless. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21211464

Permanent DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21211464 · archived on Zenodo under CC BY 4.0.

How we score it

A country is scored only when it has a sourced, dated value for all three pillars: employer social-security contributions, statutory severance, and statutory notice. Each pillar is percent-ranked against the other included countries, then combined: 50% employer cost, 30% severance, 20% notice. No estimates, no AI-filled gaps.

Read the full methodology

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