Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Zambia
Zambia: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 70.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Zambia, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Zambia stood at 70.2%.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Zambia peaked at 83.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 69.7%, in 2021.
That places Zambia 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.3% | 80.4% | 82.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.6% | 81.4% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.8% | 72.5% | 80.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.9% | 69.7% | 73.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 24 Uganda 74.4% compare
- 25 India 71.6% compare
- 26 Papua New Guinea 71.2% compare
- 28 Cote d'Ivoire 69.4% compare
- 29 Bhutan 69.0% compare
- 30 Solomon Islands 68.7% compare
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 67.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 62.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 34.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 39.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Zambia?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Zambia was 70.2% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.7% in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Zambia ranks 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.
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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).