Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 84.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ethiopia, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 84.1% for share of workers in vulnerable employment 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 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ethiopia peaked at 90.5% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 84.1%, in 2025.
Ethiopia ranks 4th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 89.4% | 89.1% | 89.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 89.9% | 89.2% | 90.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.0% | 85.2% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.9% | 84.1% | 85.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 1 Chad 90.2% compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 86.0% compare
- 3 Madagascar 84.4% compare
- 5 Niger 83.7% compare
- 6 Mozambique 83.7% compare
- 7 Burundi 83.7% compare
More work & labour data for Ethiopia
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 69.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 68.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 78.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 74.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 58.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 57.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 53.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ethiopia?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ethiopia was 84.1% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 90.5% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.1% in 2025.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Ethiopia ranks 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. 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 employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).