Employment rate by country

Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.

Countries reporting
183
Highest
86.9%
Qatar
Lowest
21.2%
Sao Tome and Principe
Median
57.2%
Years covered
35
1991–2025
Data points
6,496

What the numbers show

Employment rate is currently reported for 183 countries. The highest value is 86.9% in Qatar; the lowest is 21.2% in Sao Tome and Principe.

The median across all reporting countries is 57.2%, and the mean is 56.5%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.

Over the past decade 94 countries rose and 89 fell. The largest increase was in Serbia (up 30.2%), and the largest decrease in Afghanistan (down 24.4%).

Employment rate: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Qatar 86.9% 2025 down 0.3% rising
2 Solomon Islands 83.1% 2025 down 0.9% flat
3 Madagascar 82.9% 2025 down 1.9% flat
4 Tanzania 82.4% 2025 up 0.2% flat
5 Cambodia 82.2% 2025 up 3.6% flat
6 Nigeria 80.0% 2025 up 3.3% flat
7 Niger 79.4% 2025 up 8.9% flat
8 North Korea 79.2% 2025 up 0.1% flat
9 Uganda 77.8% 2025 up 5.8% rising
10 Burundi 77.5% 2025 down 1.0% falling
11 United Arab Emirates 76.9% 2025 up 0.4% flat
12 Bolivia 76.3% 2025 up 16.6% rising
13 Benin 75.1% 2025 up 4.2% rising
14 Liberia 74.4% 2025 down 0.8% flat
15 Eritrea 73.7% 2025 down 1.3% flat
16 Mozambique 73.5% 2025 down 3.7% falling
17 Iceland 72.2% 2025 down 1.9% flat
18 Kuwait 71.8% 2025 up 1.5% rising
19 Vietnam 71.7% 2025 down 5.7% flat
20 Moldova 71.2% 2025 up 3.2% rising
21 Bahrain 69.7% 2025 down 1.2% rising
22 Peru 69.1% 2025 down 5.8% rising
23 Central African Republic 68.8% 2025 down 0.5% flat
24 Singapore 67.7% 2025 up 1.2% rising
25 Burkina Faso 67.6% 2025 down 10.0% falling
26 Jamaica 67.3% 2025 up 12.7% flat
27 Bahamas 67.0% 2025 up 2.9% flat
28 Paraguay 66.9% 2025 up 3.1% flat
29 New Zealand 66.8% 2025 up 3.2% rising
30 Macao 66.3% 2025 down 4.7% rising
31 Ethiopia 66.2% 2025 down 13.0% falling
32 Thailand 66.2% 2025 down 3.9% falling
33 Oman 66.2% 2025 down 1.4% rising
34 East Timor 65.9% 2025 up 2.3% falling
35 Indonesia 65.8% 2025 up 3.4% flat
36 Cote d'Ivoire 65.5% 2025 up 0.5% rising
37 Laos 65.3% 2025 up 11.0% flat
38 Mali 65.1% 2025 down 6.4% falling
39 Netherlands 64.6% 2025 up 4.4% flat
40 Kazakhstan 64.5% 2025 down 3.6% flat
41 South Sudan 64.3% 2023 up 0.1% flat
42 Angola 64.2% 2025 up 0.9% flat
43 Australia 63.8% 2025 up 4.4% rising
44 Kenya 63.7% 2025 down 11.8% falling
45 Cyprus 63.7% 2025 up 16.8% flat
46 Malaysia 63.6% 2025 up 0.7% rising
47 Switzerland 63.5% 2025 down 2.2% flat
48 Israel 63.2% 2025 up 1.7% rising
49 Saudi Arabia 63.1% 2025 up 11.9% rising
50 Guinea-Bissau 63.1% 2025 up 3.1% flat
51 Cameroon 62.8% 2025 down 8.5% falling
52 Nicaragua 62.7% 2025 up 1.1% rising
53 Bhutan 62.7% 2025 up 1.8% falling
54 South Korea 62.6% 2025 up 3.7% rising
55 Norway 62.6% 2025 down 1.8% flat
56 Ecuador 62.4% 2025 down 1.5% flat
58 Japan 61.9% 2025 up 7.7% flat
60 Saint Lucia 61.8% 2025 up 12.7% rising
61 China 61.6% 2025 down 6.8% falling
62 Dominican Republic 61.5% 2025 up 7.4% rising
63 Democratic Republic of Congo 61.5% 2025 down 1.5% falling
64 Zimbabwe 61.4% 2025 down 1.8% flat
65 Denmark 61.3% 2025 up 6.6% flat
66 Brunei 60.8% 2025 up 0.4% falling
67 Panama 60.8% 2025 down 3.3% rising
68 Maldives 60.6% 2025 up 15.5% rising
69 Belarus 60.6% 2025 up 0.2% rising
70 Barbados 60.5% 2025 up 2.5% rising
71 Uruguay 60.1% 2025 up 0.1% rising
72 Canada 60.1% 2025 down 2.0% flat
73 El Salvador 60.1% 2025 up 6.6% flat
74 Philippines 60.0% 2025 up 0.8% flat
75 Mexico 60.0% 2025 up 3.5% flat
76 Azerbaijan 59.8% 2025 down 0.9% falling
77 Russia 59.8% 2025 up 1.1% rising
78 Estonia 59.7% 2025 up 3.2% rising
79 Malawi 59.4% 2025 down 6.7% falling
80 Brazil 59.4% 2025 up 1.0% falling
81 United States 59.1% 2025 up 0.2% falling
82 Sweden 59.0% 2025 down 0.3% flat
83 Chad 58.8% 2025 down 3.5% falling
84 Guam 58.8% 2025 up 1.2% falling
85 Lithuania 58.7% 2025 up 9.2% flat
86 Czechia 58.6% 2025 up 4.0% flat
87 United Kingdom 58.5% 2025 down 0.6% rising
88 Germany 58.3% 2025 up 1.5% rising
89 Zambia 58.3% 2025 up 5.4% rising
90 Colombia 58.1% 2025 down 5.1% flat
91 Guatemala 58.1% 2025 down 1.7% falling
92 Hungary 57.8% 2025 up 10.4% rising
94 Argentina 57.5% 2025 up 5.0% flat
95 Albania 57.2% 2025 up 24.6% flat
96 Slovakia 57.2% 2025 up 8.4% rising
97 Ghana 56.8% 2025 down 12.0% falling
98 Austria 56.8% 2025 up 0.1% rising
99 Chile 56.7% 2025 down 2.5% rising
100 Togo 56.7% 2025 down 0.3% flat
101 Poland 56.6% 2025 up 7.1% rising
102 Bangladesh 56.6% 2025 up 4.8% flat
103 Mongolia 56.6% 2025 down 0.4% flat
104 Latvia 56.5% 2025 up 4.5% rising
105 Georgia 56.5% 2025 up 2.3% falling
106 Rwanda 56.4% 2025 up 5.6% flat
107 Trinidad and Tobago 55.8% 2025 down 9.2% rising
108 Slovenia 55.7% 2025 up 6.3% flat
109 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 55.7% 2025 up 2.9% rising
110 Equatorial Guinea 55.5% 2025 down 1.4% flat
111 Kyrgyzstan 55.3% 2025 down 3.0% falling
112 Mauritius 55.2% 2025 down 1.1% flat
113 Vanuatu 55.2% 2025 down 5.0% falling
114 Serbia 54.9% 2025 up 30.2% flat
115 Uzbekistan 54.8% 2025 up 2.7% flat
116 Hong Kong 54.8% 2025 down 6.3% falling
117 Portugal 54.6% 2025 up 6.4% falling
118 Haiti 54.4% 2025 down 4.2% falling
119 Congo 54.3% 2025 down 0.2% flat
120 Bulgaria 54.1% 2025 up 9.9% rising
121 Fiji 54.1% 2025 down 2.9% falling
122 Finland 54.0% 2025 up 1.5% flat
123 Belize 53.9% 2025 down 8.7% rising
124 Honduras 53.8% 2025 down 10.6% falling
125 Costa Rica 53.7% 2025 down 6.6% flat
126 Comoros 53.6% 2025 up 21.3% rising
127 Myanmar 53.4% 2025 down 16.8% falling
128 India 53.3% 2025 up 8.8% falling
129 Botswana 52.0% 2025 up 3.0% flat
130 Armenia 51.7% 2025 up 2.9% falling
131 Sierra Leone 51.7% 2025 down 3.7% falling
132 Spain 51.5% 2025 up 12.6% rising
133 Cuba 51.3% 2025 down 5.3% rising
134 France 51.2% 2025 up 2.6% flat
135 Belgium 51.1% 2025 up 4.6% rising
136 Papua New Guinea 50.7% 2025 up 4.5% rising
137 Senegal 50.6% 2025 up 19.3% flat
138 Cape Verde 50.2% 2025 down 3.6% flat
139 New Caledonia 50.1% 2025 down 7.5% flat
140 Montenegro 50.1% 2025 up 16.0% rising
141 Guinea 49.9% 2025 down 5.5% falling
142 Turkey 49.7% 2025 up 8.1% falling
143 Suriname 49.6% 2025 down 3.8% rising
144 Croatia 49.5% 2025 up 12.3% flat
145 Pakistan 49.5% 2025 down 1.3% flat
146 Ukraine 49.3% 2021 down 5.0% falling
147 Venezuela 49.2% 2025 down 15.1% falling
148 Tonga 48.8% 2025 down 9.5% falling
149 Guyana 48.4% 2025 down 0.2% falling
150 Romania 48.3% 2025 up 1.1% rising
151 United States Virgin Islands 48.1% 2025 down 7.1% falling
152 Lesotho 47.8% 2025 down 9.1% falling
153 Greece 47.5% 2025 up 23.7% falling
154 Namibia 47.5% 2025 down 1.1% rising
155 Sri Lanka 46.6% 2025 down 9.1% flat
156 French Polynesia 46.3% 2025 down 6.3% falling
157 Italy 46.2% 2025 up 7.7% rising
158 North Macedonia 45.6% 2025 up 14.6% rising
159 Gambia 44.4% 2025 down 0.0% flat
160 Bosnia and Herzegovina 43.6% 2025 up 20.9% flat
161 Egypt 41.5% 2025 up 1.7% falling
162 Gabon 40.8% 2025 up 0.9% flat
163 Samoa 40.4% 2025 down 18.9% falling
164 Turkmenistan 40.2% 2025 down 3.7% falling
165 Puerto Rico 40.2% 2025 up 20.2% falling
166 Morocco 40.0% 2025 down 7.0% falling
167 Libya 39.0% 2025 down 1.8% rising
168 Lebanon 38.7% 2023 down 8.5% flat
169 Tunisia 38.4% 2025 down 4.7% falling
170 South Africa 37.6% 2025 down 8.0% falling
171 Iran 37.6% 2025 up 0.8% falling
172 Mauritania 36.6% 2025 down 3.3% falling
173 Algeria 36.0% 2025 down 4.4% rising
174 Tajikistan 35.6% 2025 down 4.5% falling
175 Nepal 35.1% 2025 down 2.2% falling
176 Iraq 35.1% 2025 down 8.5% falling
177 Sudan 34.7% 2022 down 12.6% falling
178 Palestine 34.0% 2022 up 1.0% falling
179 Eswatini 33.7% 2025 down 14.2% falling
180 Jordan 33.4% 2025 up 2.1% flat
181 Afghanistan 32.5% 2025 down 24.4% falling
182 Syria 31.9% 2025 down 1.4% falling
183 Somalia 27.4% 2025 down 1.5% flat
184 Yemen 27.4% 2025 up 4.0% falling
185 Djibouti 23.5% 2025 down 2.5% falling
186 Sao Tome and Principe 21.2% 2025 down 1.2% flat

About this data

Indicator
Employment rate
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.