Employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states
Small states: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 66.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states stood at 66.9%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states peaked at 66.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 51.2%, in 1991.
That places Small states 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 51.2% | — |
| 1992 | 52.1% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 53.5% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 54.1% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 54.9% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 55.5% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 55.8% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 56.4% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 57.2% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 57.8% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 58.2% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 58.9% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 59.2% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 59.2% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 59.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 60.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 60.3% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 60.5% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 61.5% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 62.0% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 62.0% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 62.5% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 63.1% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 63.5% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 63.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 64.2% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 64.9% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 65.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 65.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 65.2% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 65.6% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 66.2% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 66.5% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 66.8% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 66.9% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.5% | 51.2% | 57.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 59.5% | 57.8% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.7% | 62.0% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.2% | 65.2% | 66.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 7 Netherlands 84.5% compare
- 8 Bahamas 84.4% compare
- 9 Puerto Rico 84.1% compare
- 10 Israel 84.1% compare
- 11 French Polynesia 83.7% compare
- 12 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 83.2% compare
- 13 Barbados 82.6% compare
More work & labour data for Small states
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 35.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 59.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 77.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 41.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 58.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 66.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 73.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 38.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Small states was 66.9% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 66.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.2% in 1991.
- How does Small states rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Small states ranks 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.
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 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).