Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 65.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Zimbabwe, 1982–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Zimbabwe stood at 65.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.8% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Zimbabwe peaked at 80.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 55.7%, in 2024.
That places Zimbabwe 45th out of 178 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 56.6% | — |
| 1987 | 66.4% | +17.2% |
| 1997 | 68.1% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 66.8% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 79.0% | +18.2% |
| 2011 | 78.0% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 59.4% | -23.8% |
| 2014 | 80.5% | +35.4% |
| 2019 | 60.9% | -24.3% |
| 2021 | 59.2% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 58.6% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 61.4% | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 55.7% | -9.3% |
| 2025 | 65.1% | +16.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 65.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 56.8%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 65.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1%, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 61.5% | 56.6% | 66.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 67.5% | 66.8% | 68.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 79.0% | 79.0% | 79.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 69.7% | 59.4% | 80.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 60.0% | 55.7% | 65.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More work & labour data for Zimbabwe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1887 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1727 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2032 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,627 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 16,032 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,130 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 18,036 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 37,167 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Zimbabwe?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Zimbabwe was 65.1% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 80.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.7% in 2024.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Zimbabwe ranks 45th out of 178 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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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CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.