Employment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Employment rate was 61.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, employment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 61.5%.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 70.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 60.0%, in 2020.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 63rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.9% | 69.7% | 70.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 69.3% | 66.3% | 70.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.7% | 61.3% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.0% | 60.0% | 61.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- 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)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 61.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 43.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 62.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 66.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 64.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 41.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 92.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Employment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 61.5% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 70.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.0% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for employment rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 63rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.
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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.