Employment rate in Germany
Germany: Employment rate was 58.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment rate in Germany, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment rate in Germany is 58.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Germany peaked at 59.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 51.3%, in 2004.
Germany ranks 88th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.8% | 52.5% | 56.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 53.1% | 51.3% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.5% | 55.1% | 59.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.6% | 58.1% | 59.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More work & labour data for Germany
- 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)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 66.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 83.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 55.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Germany?
- Employment rate in Germany was 58.3% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 59.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.3% in 2004.
- How does Germany rank for employment rate?
- Germany ranks 88th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.