Employment rate in Netherlands
Netherlands: Employment rate was 64.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
64.6%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
39th
of 186 countries
All-time high
66.5%
in 2001
All-time low
61.2%
in 2014
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment rate in Netherlands, 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 Netherlands is 64.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Netherlands peaked at 66.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 61.2%, in 2014.
That places Netherlands 39th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Employment rate in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 61.7% | — |
| 1992 | 63.0% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 62.6% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 62.0% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 62.0% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 62.6% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 63.4% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 64.3% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 65.1% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 66.0% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 66.5% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 66.1% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 64.3% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 63.3% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 63.8% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 64.4% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 64.7% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 63.9% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 63.2% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 63.1% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 62.9% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 61.9% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 61.2% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 61.9% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 62.3% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 62.9% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 63.8% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 64.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 64.0% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 63.7% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 64.9% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 65.0% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 64.6% | -0.5% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 64.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.9%, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 64.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 56.6%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.0% | 61.7% | 65.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 64.8% | 63.3% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.8% | 61.2% | 64.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.6% | 63.7% | 65.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 36 Cote d'Ivoire 65.5% compare
- 37 Laos 65.3% compare
- 38 Mali 65.1% compare
- 40 Kazakhstan 64.5% compare
- 41 South Sudan 64.3% compare
- 42 Angola 64.2% compare
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Netherlands?
- Employment rate in Netherlands was 64.6% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 66.5% in 2001.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.2% in 2014.
- How does Netherlands rank for employment rate?
- Netherlands ranks 39th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.