Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam
Vietnam: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 51.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam is 51.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam peaked at 77.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 51.4%, in 2025.
Vietnam ranks 52nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 77.8% | — |
| 1992 | 77.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.8% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 76.1% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 75.7% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 75.1% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 74.0% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 71.3% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 74.2% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 73.7% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 71.2% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 71.6% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 70.1% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 66.4% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 65.8% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 65.3% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 64.8% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 63.2% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 61.6% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 62.7% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 62.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 62.5% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 62.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 62.2% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 57.8% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 55.9% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 55.1% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 53.9% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 53.2% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 53.1% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 53.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 52.8% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 52.3% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 51.9% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 51.4% | -0.9% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 51.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.8%, 1.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 51.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.6%, 1.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.4% | 71.3% | 77.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 67.4% | 61.6% | 73.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.9% | 53.2% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.4% | 51.4% | 53.2% | 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 share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Vietnam was 51.4% 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 Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 77.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.4% in 2025.
- How does Vietnam rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Vietnam ranks 52nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vietnam 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).