Employment rate in Vietnam
Vietnam: Employment rate was 71.7% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
71.7%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
19th
of 186 countries
All-time high
76.6%
in 2018
All-time low
71.7%
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment rate in Vietnam, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Vietnam recorded 71.7% for employment rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Vietnam peaked at 76.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 71.7%, in 2025.
That places Vietnam 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Employment rate in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.4% | — |
| 1992 | 76.2% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 76.1% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.0% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 75.8% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 75.6% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 74.0% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 73.6% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 72.8% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 71.7% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 72.8% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 72.8% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 72.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 72.4% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 72.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 73.1% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 73.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 74.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 74.7% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 75.4% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 75.6% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 75.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 76.2% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 76.3% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 76.0% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 75.5% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 75.8% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 76.6% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 75.3% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 72.8% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 72.0% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 73.3% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 72.3% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 72.0% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 71.7% | -0.4% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 71.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 55.7%, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 71.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.9%, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.2% | 72.8% | 76.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 73.0% | 71.7% | 74.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.8% | 75.3% | 76.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.3% | 71.7% | 73.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
More work & labour data for Vietnam
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,535 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 71.95 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 57,816 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.61 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.806 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 30,426 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 8,480 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 70.79 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.1 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.7361 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Vietnam?
- Employment rate in Vietnam was 71.7% 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 Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 76.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.7% in 2025.
- How does Vietnam rank for employment rate?
- Vietnam ranks 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Vietnam 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.