Employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 33.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia stood at 33.4%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 38.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia peaked at 33.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 2005.
That places Ethiopia 170th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.2% | — |
| 1992 | 15.4% | -5.2% |
| 1993 | 16.1% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 16.2% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 16.5% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 17.2% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 17.2% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 17.1% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 16.8% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 16.6% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 14.6% | -7.4% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 14.5% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 15.2% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 16.6% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 18.2% | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 19.2% | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 20.6% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 22.3% | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 24.2% | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | +7.3% |
| 2017 | 27.9% | +7.5% |
| 2018 | 29.5% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 31.3% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 29.7% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 30.2% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 30.7% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 32.6% | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 33.4% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.5% | 15.4% | 17.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 14.5% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.9% | 18.2% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.4% | 29.7% | 33.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 167 South Sudan 34.6% compare
- 168 Zimbabwe 34.2% compare
- 169 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 33.5% compare
- 171 India 32.6% compare
- 172 Eritrea 31.8% compare
- 173 Burkina Faso 31.6% compare
More work & labour data for Ethiopia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4959 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4604 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1765 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 74,537 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 116,333 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 183,282 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 184,008 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 367,290 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Ethiopia was 33.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 33.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 2005.
- How does Ethiopia rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Ethiopia ranks 170th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in services (% 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 services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).