Employment rate in Brazil
Brazil: Employment rate was 59.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
59.4%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
80th
of 186 countries
All-time high
61.6%
in 2008
All-time low
52.2%
in 2020
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment rate in Brazil, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 59.4% for employment rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Brazil peaked at 61.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 52.2%, in 2020.
Brazil ranks 80th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment rate in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60.3% | — |
| 1992 | 60.4% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 61.3% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 61.1% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 61.0% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 58.8% | -3.6% |
| 1997 | 59.0% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 58.3% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 58.3% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 58.6% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 59.0% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 59.8% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 59.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 60.6% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 60.9% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 61.1% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 61.0% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 61.6% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 61.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 60.6% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 60.0% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 59.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 59.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 59.7% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 58.8% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 56.8% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 56.3% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 56.5% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 57.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 52.2% | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 54.2% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 57.7% | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 57.9% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 59.0% | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 59.4% | +0.6% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 59.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 55.7%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 59.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 58.1%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 59.8% | 58.3% | 61.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 60.3% | 58.6% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.5% | 56.3% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.7% | 52.2% | 59.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More work & labour data for Brazil
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7328 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7065 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7581 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1001 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 215,063 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 17,625 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 82,304 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 81,060 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 163,364 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Brazil?
- Employment rate in Brazil was 59.4% 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 Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 61.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.2% in 2020.
- How does Brazil rank for employment rate?
- Brazil ranks 80th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil 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
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About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.