Employers, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Employers, total (% of total employment) was 2.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) recorded 2.9% for employers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 28.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 5.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2025.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 39th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.0% | — |
| 1992 | 5.0% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 5.1% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 5.0% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 4.9% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 5.0% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 5.1% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 5.2% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 4.4% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 4.5% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 4.0% | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | -20.4% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.0% | 4.8% | 5.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
More work & labour data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 32.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 25.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 17.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 47.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 75.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 71.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 13.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 44.9% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 2.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2025.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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).