Employment in BRICS
BRICS: Employment was 1.80 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in BRICS, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in BRICS stood at 1.80 million. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in BRICS peaked at 1.80 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.21 million, in 1991.
That places BRICS 5th out of 87 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in BRICS, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.21 million | — |
| 1992 | 1.23 million | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 1.24 million | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 1.26 million | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 1.27 million | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 1.29 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.31 million | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 1.33 million | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 1.36 million | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 1.38 million | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.40 million | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.42 million | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.44 million | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 1.47 million | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 1.49 million | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 1.51 million | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.53 million | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 1.54 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.55 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 1.56 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 1.58 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.59 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 1.61 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.62 million | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.63 million | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.64 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.65 million | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.66 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.68 million | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.64 million | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 1.70 million | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 1.73 million | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 1.77 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 1.79 million | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 1.80 million | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.28 million | 1.21 million | 1.36 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.47 million | 1.38 million | 1.55 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.62 million | 1.56 million | 1.68 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.74 million | 1.64 million | 1.80 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near BRICS
More work & labour data for BRICS
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1.28 million (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1.92 million (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.6807 % change on previous year (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.57 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment (ILO modelled estimates) 1.80 million (2025)
- Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 60 (2027)
- NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training 19.8 (2027)
- NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training 117,808 (2027)
- NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (ILO modelled) 0.8872 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in BRICS?
- Employment in BRICS was 1.80 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in BRICS?
- The highest recorded value was 1.80 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in BRICS?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 million in 1991.
- How does BRICS rank for employment?
- BRICS ranks 5th out of 87 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in BRICS?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this BRICS data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.