Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) was 66.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands, 1977–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands stood at 66.0%.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands peaked at 66.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.9%, in 1986.
That places Netherlands 37th out of 178 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 46.5% | — |
| 1979 | 46.3% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 45.6% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 45.8% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 44.7% | -2.5% |
| 1983 | 45.0% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 45.4% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 43.9% | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 50.5% | +14.8% |
| 1988 | 50.5% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 51.1% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 52.7% | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 53.5% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 54.8% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 54.5% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 54.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 55.0% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 55.9% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 57.6% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 59.0% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 60.2% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 61.8% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 62.8% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 63.2% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 62.4% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 61.9% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 59.7% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 60.3% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 61.9% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 62.9% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 62.5% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 61.6% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 61.3% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 61.2% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 60.3% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 59.6% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 60.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 60.2% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 60.9% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 61.8% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 62.6% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 62.1% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 64.2% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 65.5% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 66.2% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 66.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 66.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 46.4% | 46.3% | 46.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 46.9% | 43.9% | 51.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 55.8% | 52.7% | 60.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.9% | 59.7% | 63.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.0% | 59.6% | 62.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.0% | 62.1% | 66.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 67.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Netherlands was 66.0% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 66.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.9% in 1986.
- How does Netherlands rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Netherlands ranks 37th out of 178 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.