Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) by country
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have...
What the numbers show
Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) is currently reported for 89 countries. The highest value is 21,941 in United States; the lowest is 10.66 in Grenada.
The median across all reporting countries is 548.23, and the mean is 1,703.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2,057.
Over the past decade 60 countries rose and 28 fell. The largest increase was in Montenegro (up 228.6%), and the largest decrease in Belize (down 66.6%).
Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 21,941 | 2025 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 2 | Brazil | 12,786 | 2025 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 8,168 | 2025 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 4 | Mexico | 5,964 | 2026 | down 1.9% | rising |
| 5 | France | 5,852 | 2024 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 6 | Pakistan | 5,340 | 2025 | up 29.5% | rising |
| 7 | Egypt | 5,264 | 2024 | down 16.6% | falling |
| 8 | Japan | 5,263 | 2023 | up 7.6% | falling |
| 9 | Turkey | 5,156 | 2025 | up 54.7% | rising |
| 10 | Canada | 4,549 | 2025 | up 29.4% | rising |
| 11 | Vietnam | 4,309 | 2024 | down 21.0% | rising |
| 12 | Philippines | 4,289 | 2023 | up 41.2% | rising |
| 13 | Poland | 4,198 | 2025 | up 9.2% | falling |
| 14 | Australia | 3,678 | 2021 | up 25.3% | rising |
| 15 | Thailand | 3,675 | 2025 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 16 | Spain | 3,549 | 2025 | up 19.3% | rising |
| 17 | Iran | 3,493 | 2024 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 18 | Nigeria | 3,373 | 2024 | down 35.5% | falling |
| 19 | Venezuela | 3,114 | 2017 | up 59.9% | rising |
| 20 | South Africa | 2,790 | 2024 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 21 | Bangladesh | 2,767 | 2024 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 22 | Argentina | 2,123 | 2025 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 23 | Kenya | 2,023 | 2021 | up 41.6% | rising |
| 24 | Peru | 1,625 | 2025 | up 10.5% | rising |
| 25 | Tanzania | 1,378 | 2024 | up 65.7% | rising |
| 26 | Myanmar | 1,240 | 2020 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 27 | Sri Lanka | 1,149 | 2024 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 28 | Tunisia | 1,120 | 2021 | up 61.0% | rising |
| 29 | Angola | 1,045 | 2025 | up 35.6% | rising |
| 30 | Chile | 904.42 | 2025 | down 3.9% | rising |
| 31 | Colombia | 873.39 | 2025 | up 3.9% | falling |
| 32 | Switzerland | 803.01 | 2025 | up 13.8% | rising |
| 33 | Greece | 795.84 | 2020 | down 18.3% | rising |
| 34 | Slovakia | 755.5 | 2023 | up 19.3% | rising |
| 35 | Dominican Republic | 731.2 | 2025 | up 33.2% | rising |
| 36 | Serbia | 719.18 | 2020 | up 2.6% | flat |
| 37 | United Arab Emirates | 710.19 | 2025 | down 7.6% | falling |
| 38 | Cambodia | 704.2 | 2025 | up 60.0% | rising |
| 39 | Ghana | 703 | 2024 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 40 | Afghanistan | 642.83 | 2021 | down 5.4% | rising |
| 41 | Jordan | 640.37 | 2024 | up 3.3% | flat |
| 42 | Uganda | 607.09 | 2021 | up 58.8% | rising |
| 43 | Zambia | 605.39 | 2024 | up 60.9% | rising |
| 44 | Ecuador | 569.88 | 2025 | down 15.1% | rising |
| 45 | Guatemala | 548.23 | 2025 | up 42.1% | rising |
| 46 | Kyrgyzstan | 501.22 | 2023 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 47 | Bolivia | 442.31 | 2025 | down 0.2% | rising |
| 48 | Zimbabwe | 439.74 | 2024 | up 28.0% | rising |
| 49 | Cote d'Ivoire | 398.4 | 2022 | up 91.9% | rising |
| 50 | Austria | 377.79 | 2025 | down 2.8% | falling |
| 51 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 347.79 | 2025 | up 39.9% | flat |
| 52 | Georgia | 336.93 | 2025 | up 17.6% | rising |
| 53 | Costa Rica | 330.06 | 2025 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 54 | Senegal | 329.17 | 2024 | up 20.5% | rising |
| 55 | Panama | 323.46 | 2025 | up 18.4% | rising |
| 56 | Paraguay | 322.25 | 2025 | down 11.2% | rising |
| 57 | Rwanda | 320.44 | 2025 | up 138.8% | rising |
| 58 | Burkina Faso | 294.44 | 2025 | down 7.8% | flat |
| 59 | Mongolia | 282.35 | 2025 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 60 | Uruguay | 272.31 | 2025 | up 12.7% | rising |
| 61 | El Salvador | 266.24 | 2025 | up 30.7% | rising |
| 62 | Honduras | 264.48 | 2025 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 63 | Moldova | 237.93 | 2025 | down 8.0% | falling |
| 64 | Montenegro | 232.44 | 2024 | up 228.6% | volatile |
| 65 | Armenia | 230.79 | 2023 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 66 | Mali | 225.89 | 2024 | up 46.9% | rising |
| 67 | Singapore | 225.04 | 2025 | — | falling |
| 68 | Albania | 177.93 | 2024 | up 2.2% | flat |
| 69 | Niger | 166.12 | 2022 | down 18.3% | rising |
| 70 | North Macedonia | 163.81 | 2025 | up 3.8% | flat |
| 71 | Jamaica | 159.37 | 2023 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 72 | Botswana | 154.13 | 2024 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 73 | Palestine | 141.26 | 2025 | down 38.1% | falling |
| 74 | Trinidad and Tobago | 132.21 | 2024 | down 23.2% | volatile |
| 75 | Togo | 122.71 | 2022 | up 24.4% | rising |
| 76 | Namibia | 117.76 | 2018 | up 5.9% | flat |
| 77 | Kosovo | 109.04 | 2024 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 78 | Mauritius | 106 | 2024 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 79 | Guyana | 97.81 | 2024 | up 82.1% | rising |
| 80 | East Timor | 89.61 | 2021 | up 123.4% | volatile |
| 81 | Bhutan | 84.58 | 2024 | up 56.4% | rising |
| 82 | Brunei | 67.43 | 2024 | down 24.0% | falling |
| 83 | New Caledonia | 25.7 | 2023 | down 13.9% | rising |
| 84 | Barbados | 25.61 | 2024 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 85 | Seychelles | 20 | 2025 | up 112.7% | rising |
| 86 | Saint Lucia | 18.66 | 2025 | up 40.2% | rising |
| 87 | Vanuatu | 15.85 | 2025 | down 22.6% | volatile |
| 88 | Belize | 14.42 | 2019 | down 66.6% | falling |
| 89 | Grenada | 10.66 | 2023 | down 8.5% | flat |
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.