Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 20.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) is 20.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 23.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2020.
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 30th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.6% | — |
| 1992 | 23.4% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 23.1% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 22.6% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 22.5% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 22.4% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 22.7% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 22.2% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 22.4% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 21.9% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 21.9% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 21.7% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 22.0% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 22.4% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 22.6% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 21.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 21.8% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 21.7% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 21.6% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 21.9% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 21.6% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 21.0% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 20.8% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 20.4% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 20.7% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 20.6% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 20.6% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 20.5% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.8% | 22.2% | 23.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 21.7% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.3% | 20.4% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.6% | 20.3% | 20.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
More work & labour data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 56.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.9% (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 20.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 23.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2020.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).