Employment in industry (% of total employment) in OECD members
OECD members: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 21.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in OECD members, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
OECD members recorded 21.7% for employment in industry (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in OECD members peaked at 29.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2025.
That places OECD members 27th out of 47 groups 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.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 29.2% | — |
| 1992 | 28.9% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 28.4% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 27.9% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 27.7% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 27.4% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 27.2% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 27.0% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 26.5% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 26.6% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 26.2% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 25.9% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 25.6% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 25.4% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 25.2% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 25.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 25.1% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 24.6% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 23.5% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 23.2% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 23.1% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 23.0% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 22.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 22.7% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 22.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 22.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 22.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 22.2% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 22.1% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 21.9% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 21.7% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.8% | 26.5% | 29.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 25.3% | 23.5% | 26.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8% | 22.5% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 21.7% | 22.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More work & labour data for OECD members
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in OECD members?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in OECD members was 21.7% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 29.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2025.
- How does OECD members rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- OECD members ranks 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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).