Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender by country
This dataset contains data on employment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the employment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The...
What the numbers show
Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 88.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in Japan; the lowest is 44.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in South Africa.
The median across all reporting countries is 81.05 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, and the mean is 79.01 Percentage of population in the same subgroup.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 38 countries rose and 7 fell. The largest increase was in India (up 71.9%), and the largest decrease in South Africa (down 18.4%).
Employment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 88.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 1 | Netherlands | 87.82 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 1 | Croatia | 81.64 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 16.3% | rising |
| 2 | Australia | 86.35 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 2 | Lithuania | 86.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 3 | Poland | 85.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 3 | Switzerland | 85.89 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 4 | Slovenia | 85.64 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 8.8% | flat |
| 4 | Portugal | 85.59 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 10.3% | flat |
| 5 | Iceland | 85.54 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2023 | up 7.6% | flat |
| 5 | Estonia | 85.26 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 6 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 84.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 6 | Latvia | 82.17 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 7 | Hungary | 84.67 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 84.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 8 | Türkiye | 65.21 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 4.3% | flat |
| 9 | Norway | 84.15 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 10 | Ireland | 83.99 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 13.4% | rising |
| 11 | Germany | 82.95 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 12 | New Zealand | 82.72 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 13 | Austria | 82.57 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 14 | Canada | 82.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 15 | Sweden | 81.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 16 | OECD | 81.05 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 17 | Czechia | 80.45 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 5.6% | flat |
| 18 | France | 80.22 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 4.8% | flat |
| 19 | Denmark | 79.58 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 4.0% | flat |
| 20 | United States of America | 79.25 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 5.2% | flat |
| 21 | Bulgaria | 78.58 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 22 | Belgium | 78.57 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 23 | Argentina | 76.64 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2023 | up 3.5% | flat |
| 24 | Spain | 76.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 25 | Brazil | 76.09 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 26 | Israel | 75.88 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 27 | Finland | 75.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 28 | Chile | 75.16 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 29 | Costa Rica | 74.72 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 30 | Colombia | 73.59 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 31 | Romania | 73.48 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 32 | Mexico | 73.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 33 | Greece | 72.95 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 22.5% | falling |
| 34 | Indonesia | 71.86 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2022 | down 1.2% | rising |
| 35 | Italy | 68.52 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 14.8% | flat |
| 36 | India | 62.73 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2023 | up 71.9% | rising |
| 37 | South Africa | 44.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 18.4% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Slovak Republic 80.39 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Korea 76.48 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- European Union (25 countries) 81.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
About this data
This dataset contains data on employment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the employment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.