Employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Employers, total (% of total employment) was 3.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 3.5%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 3.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1991.
That places Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.5% | — |
| 1992 | 2.6% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | +11.8% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +3.2% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3.5% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
More work & labour data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 58.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 35.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 60.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 41.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 29.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 69.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 71.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 48.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 3.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1991.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).