Employment rate in Qatar
Qatar: Employment rate was 86.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
86.9%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
1st
of 186 countries
All-time high
87.5%
in 2022
All-time low
81.7%
in 2004
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment rate in Qatar, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, employment rate in Qatar stood at 86.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Qatar peaked at 87.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 81.7%, in 2004.
That places Qatar 1st 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.
Employment rate in Qatar, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 83.1% | — |
| 1992 | 82.8% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 83.0% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 83.0% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 83.1% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 83.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 82.2% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 81.9% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 81.9% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 81.9% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 82.1% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 82.2% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 82.5% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 81.7% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 81.8% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 83.0% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 84.9% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 85.8% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 86.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 86.2% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 86.0% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 86.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 86.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 87.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 87.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 87.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 87.0% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 86.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 87.5% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 87.4% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 87.1% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 86.9% | -0.2% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 86.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.9%, 1.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 86.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 39.0%, 2.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 82.7% | 81.9% | 83.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 83.2% | 81.7% | 86.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.7% | 85.9% | 87.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.0% | 86.2% | 87.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
- 2 Solomon Islands 83.1% compare
- 3 Madagascar 82.9% compare
- 4 Tanzania 82.4% compare
More work & labour data for Qatar
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 1.01 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.8188 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5742 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,762 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 11.18 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,025 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,247 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 7,272 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Qatar?
- Employment rate in Qatar was 86.9% 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 Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.7% in 2004.
- How does Qatar rank for employment rate?
- Qatar ranks 1st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Qatar 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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About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.