Population by labor force status in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Population by labor force status was 52.54 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
52.54 million people
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
7th
of 186 countries
All-time high
52.54 million people
in 2025
All-time low
22.96 million people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status in Ethiopia, 1991–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M1991200820251991: 23.0M people1992: 24.0M people1993: 24.9M people1994: 25.9M people1995: 26.9M people1996: 27.9M people1997: 28.9M people1998: 30.0M people1999: 31.1M people2000: 32.2M people2001: 33.2M people2002: 34.2M people2003: 35.2M people2004: 36.2M people2005: 37.2M people2006: 38.1M people2007: 39.0M people2008: 39.9M people2009: 40.7M people2010: 41.4M people2011: 42.1M people2012: 42.7M people2013: 43.3M people2014: 43.9M people2015: 44.5M people2016: 45.1M people2017: 45.8M people2018: 46.5M people2019: 47.3M people2020: 48.1M people2021: 48.9M people2022: 49.8M people2023: 50.7M people2024: 51.6M people2025: 52.5M people

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 52.54 million people for population by labor force status in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Ethiopia peaked at 52.54 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.96 million people, in 1991.

That places Ethiopia 7th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 26.95 million people 22.96 million people 31.12 million people 9
2000s 36.59 million people 32.19 million people 40.65 million people 10
2010s 44.27 million people 41.38 million people 47.29 million people 10
2020s 50.27 million people 48.10 million people 52.54 million people 6

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 4 Pakistan 92.50 million people compare
  2. 5 Indonesia 69.28 million people compare
  3. 6 United States 59.38 million people compare
  4. 8 Democratic Republic of Congo 51.85 million people compare
  5. 9 Bangladesh 48.57 million people compare
  6. 10 Brazil 41.26 million people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status in Ethiopia?
Population by labor force status in Ethiopia was 52.54 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 52.54 million people in 2025.
What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 22.96 million people in 1991.
How does Ethiopia rank for population by labor force status?
Ethiopia ranks 7th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Population below working age (under 15 years old).