Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 54.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Hong Kong, 1975–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Hong Kong recorded 54.9% for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Hong Kong peaked at 63.6% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 54.9%, in 2025.
Hong Kong ranks 116th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 59.3% | — |
| 1979 | 59.4% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 60.2% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 63.6% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 62.1% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 61.6% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 62.7% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 62.8% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 63.2% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 63.5% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 63.2% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 62.3% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 62.2% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 62.3% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 61.1% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 61.2% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 61.3% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 60.0% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 60.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 60.4% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 59.2% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 57.7% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 58.3% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 57.3% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 56.5% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 57.1% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 57.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 58.3% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 58.8% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 58.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 57.6% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 57.0% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 58.0% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 58.5% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 59.1% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 59.0% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 59.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 59.0% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 59.2% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 59.6% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 58.9% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 56.2% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 56.3% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 55.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 55.6% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 55.3% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 54.9% | -0.6% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 54.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 59.3%, 93% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 54.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 59.7%, 92% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.3% | 59.3% | 59.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 62.5% | 60.2% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.8% | 59.2% | 62.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 57.8% | 56.5% | 58.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.7% | 57.0% | 59.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.7% | 54.9% | 56.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
More work & labour data for Hong Kong
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Hong Kong?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Hong Kong was 54.9% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 63.6% in 1981.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.9% in 2025.
- How does Hong Kong rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Hong Kong ranks 116th out of 178 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.