Employment rate in Benin
Benin: Employment rate was 75.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment rate in Benin, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Benin recorded 75.1% for employment rate in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Benin peaked at 75.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 70.0%, in 2011.
That places Benin 13th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 71.1% | 71.0% | 71.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 71.2% | 71.2% | 71.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.0% | 70.0% | 74.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.8% | 73.6% | 75.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More work & labour data for Benin
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 51.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 76.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 77.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 96.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Benin?
- Employment rate in Benin was 75.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment rate recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 75.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.0% in 2011.
- How does Benin rank for employment rate?
- Benin ranks 13th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.