Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Syria
Syria: Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 3.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Syria, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, total (% of total employment) in Syria stood at 3.6%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Syria peaked at 9.5% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2025.
That places Syria 85th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Syria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.2% | — |
| 1992 | 8.2% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 8.2% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 8.2% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 8.3% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 8.3% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 8.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 8.3% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 8.4% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 8.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 8.6% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 8.8% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 9.0% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 9.5% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 8.5% | -10.6% |
| 2008 | 7.2% | -15.3% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -44.6% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 4.5% | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 4.3% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 4.2% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 3.6% | -1.6% |
Syria compared with similar countries
- Syria's 3.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Syria's 3.6% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.6%, 98% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Syria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | -44.6% | 7.2% | 4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.2% | 8.2% | 8.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.1% | 4.0% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Syria
- 82 Uruguay 3.6% compare
- 83 United States Virgin Islands 3.6% compare
- 84 Bolivia 3.6% compare
- 86 United Arab Emirates 3.6% compare
- 87 Democratic Republic of Congo 3.6% compare
- 88 Belgium 3.6% compare
More work & labour data for Syria
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 12,499 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 36.74 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 7,259 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 13.9 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 3.36 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 14,788 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 2,364 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 31.63 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.65 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Syria?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Syria was 3.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Syria?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 2006.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Syria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2025.
- How does Syria rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Syria ranks 85th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Syria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Syria 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).