Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia
Zambia: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) was 69.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia, 1969–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia is 69.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia peaked at 86.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 41.0%, in 1969.
Zambia ranks 116th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 41.0% | — |
| 1980 | 80.3% | +95.9% |
| 1990 | 62.2% | -22.6% |
| 1991 | 70.5% | +13.4% |
| 1998 | 68.0% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 67.1% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 86.0% | +28.2% |
| 2008 | 78.8% | -8.4% |
| 2010 | 65.6% | -16.8% |
| 2012 | 80.0% | +22.0% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | -28.4% |
| 2017 | 69.5% | +21.2% |
| 2018 | 65.2% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 67.5% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 67.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 66.3% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 65.3% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 67.8% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 69.2% | +2.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 69.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.7%, 96% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 69.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.2%, 99% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +95.9% | 41.0% | 80.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 41.0% | 41.0% | 41.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 80.3% | 80.3% | 80.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 66.9% | 62.2% | 70.5% | 3 |
| 2000s | 77.3% | 67.1% | 86.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 67.5% | 57.3% | 80.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 67.3% | 65.3% | 69.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5224 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,577 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,424 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 32,895 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 31,579 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 64,474 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Zambia was 69.2% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.0% in 1969.
- How does Zambia rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
- Zambia ranks 116th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.