Employment by status by country

Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.

Countries reporting
183
Highest
99.2%
Qatar
Lowest
8.5%
Chad
Median
67.9%
Years covered
34
1991–2024
Data points
6,257

What the numbers show

Employment by status is currently reported for 183 countries. The highest value is 99.2% in Qatar; the lowest is 8.5% in Chad.

The median across all reporting countries is 67.9%, and the mean is 61.0%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 12.

Over the past decade 136 countries rose and 47 fell. The largest increase was in Ghana (up 38.5%), and the largest decrease in Democratic Republic of Congo (down 12.5%).

Employment by status: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Qatar 99.2% 2024 down 0.3% flat
2 Bahrain 97.5% 2024 up 0.1% flat
3 Kuwait 96.9% 2024 down 2.0% flat
4 Norway 95.1% 2024 up 1.3% flat
5 Oman 95.0% 2024 down 0.4% rising
6 United Arab Emirates 94.9% 2024 down 1.8% flat
7 Saudi Arabia 94.4% 2024 down 2.3% flat
8 United States 93.8% 2024 up 0.8% flat
9 Russia 93.6% 2024 up 0.9% flat
10 Belarus 93.0% 2024 up 1.0% rising
11 Macao 92.9% 2024 down 0.7% rising
12 Brunei 92.6% 2024 up 1.7% flat
13 Hong Kong 92.2% 2024 up 1.5% flat
14 Denmark 92.0% 2024 up 1.0% flat
15 Germany 91.8% 2024 up 3.1% flat
16 United States Virgin Islands 90.9% 2024 down 0.8% flat
17 Japan 90.8% 2024 up 2.2% rising
18 Cyprus 90.1% 2024 up 9.7% rising
19 Sweden 89.7% 2024 up 0.9% flat
21 Jordan 88.7% 2024 up 4.1% rising
22 Israel 88.6% 2024 up 0.3% flat
23 Lithuania 88.3% 2024 up 0.5% rising
24 Hungary 88.2% 2024 down 0.5% rising
25 Bulgaria 88.1% 2024 up 0.9% rising
26 Estonia 87.9% 2024 up 0.4% flat
27 Austria 87.8% 2024 up 2.3% flat
28 Finland 87.5% 2024 up 0.6% flat
29 Puerto Rico 87.4% 2024 up 0.5% flat
30 Singapore 87.2% 2024 up 2.1% flat
31 Canada 87.0% 2024 up 2.3% flat
32 Croatia 86.9% 2024 up 5.1% rising
33 United Kingdom 86.8% 2024 up 2.4% flat
34 France 86.7% 2024 down 2.0% flat
35 Iceland 86.7% 2024 up 4.0% flat
37 Latvia 86.3% 2024 down 0.1% flat
39 Slovenia 85.9% 2024 up 7.1% rising
40 Portugal 85.5% 2024 up 4.8% rising
41 Romania 85.3% 2024 up 12.1% rising
42 Belgium 85.3% 2024 down 0.1% flat
43 Spain 85.3% 2024 up 3.9% rising
44 Slovakia 85.1% 2024 up 0.6% falling
45 Guam 84.3% 2024 up 0.4% flat
46 Czechia 84.1% 2024 up 2.6% falling
47 Australia 83.8% 2024 up 0.5% rising
48 North Macedonia 83.2% 2024 up 13.4% flat
49 Netherlands 83.2% 2024 down 2.3% falling
50 Switzerland 83.2% 2024 down 1.9% flat
51 South Africa 83.0% 2021 down 3.3% flat
52 New Caledonia 83.0% 2024 down 3.2% flat
53 Bahamas 82.9% 2024 down 2.6% flat
54 Montenegro 82.2% 2024 up 1.3% flat
55 Mauritius 81.8% 2024 up 2.4% rising
56 French Polynesia 81.6% 2024 up 0.9% rising
57 New Zealand 81.4% 2024 up 2.2% rising
58 Poland 81.0% 2024 up 8.8% rising
59 Taiwan 80.8% 2024 up 2.5% rising
60 Barbados 80.2% 2024 down 3.2% falling
61 Maldives 79.7% 2024 up 5.7% rising
62 Ukraine 79.0% 2021 down 0.5% flat
63 Italy 78.8% 2024 up 4.6% rising
64 Bosnia and Herzegovina 77.6% 2024 down 0.3% rising
65 Suriname 77.2% 2024 down 0.7% falling
66 South Korea 77.1% 2024 up 4.2% rising
67 Palestine 76.2% 2022 up 14.0% rising
68 Chile 76.0% 2024 down 0.7% flat
69 Cuba 75.1% 2024 down 2.4% falling
70 Tunisia 75.0% 2024 up 1.4% rising
71 Malaysia 74.5% 2024 up 1.8% rising
72 Trinidad and Tobago 74.3% 2024 down 5.3% flat
73 Argentina 74.3% 2024 down 2.7% rising
74 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 74.1% 2024 up 0.4% flat
75 Kazakhstan 73.8% 2024 up 3.5% rising
76 Libya 73.7% 2024 down 0.4% falling
77 Costa Rica 73.2% 2024 up 4.1% rising
78 Saint Lucia 73.1% 2024 up 2.6% flat
79 Egypt 72.9% 2024 up 7.0% rising
80 Serbia 72.8% 2024 up 6.6% rising
81 Equatorial Guinea 72.7% 2024 down 3.8% rising
82 Uruguay 71.9% 2024 down 2.2% flat
83 Botswana 71.8% 2024 up 3.5% falling
84 Lebanon 71.6% 2023 up 1.1% rising
85 Turkey 71.2% 2024 up 8.1% rising
86 Algeria 69.6% 2024 up 1.2% rising
87 Eswatini 69.6% 2024 up 8.9% rising
88 Brazil 69.5% 2024 down 1.6% rising
89 Greece 69.3% 2024 up 8.5% rising
90 Mexico 69.2% 2024 down 0.5% rising
91 Kyrgyzstan 69.0% 2024 up 19.6% rising
92 Tajikistan 68.5% 2024 up 3.6% flat
93 Iraq 68.4% 2024 up 0.2% rising
94 Guyana 68.4% 2024 up 6.6% rising
95 Turkmenistan 67.9% 2024 up 4.7% rising
96 Gabon 67.6% 2024 up 1.7% rising
97 Armenia 65.7% 2024 up 22.0% rising
98 Fiji 65.6% 2024 up 15.5% flat
99 Belize 64.7% 2024 down 6.6% flat
100 Jamaica 64.2% 2024 up 7.8% rising
101 El Salvador 64.0% 2024 up 5.9% rising
102 Philippines 63.5% 2024 up 5.8% rising
103 Western Sahara 63.4% 2024 up 2.0% rising
104 Namibia 63.2% 2024 down 4.3% rising
105 China 61.9% 2024 up 6.9% rising
106 Lesotho 61.4% 2024 up 1.2% rising
107 Cape Verde 61.1% 2024 up 2.5% rising
108 Guatemala 60.7% 2024 up 2.4% flat
109 Venezuela 59.7% 2024 down 8.3% flat
110 Morocco 59.6% 2024 up 4.2% rising
111 Panama 59.4% 2024 down 9.0% flat
112 Rwanda 59.1% 2024 up 5.7% rising
113 Mongolia 58.4% 2024 up 11.3% rising
114 Paraguay 58.4% 2024 up 3.8% rising
115 Tonga 57.9% 2024 up 24.0% rising
116 Sri Lanka 57.8% 2024 up 1.4% rising
117 Dominican Republic 57.8% 2024 up 5.5% flat
118 Syria 57.5% 2024 down 1.4% rising
119 Iran 56.8% 2024 up 2.2% rising
120 Sao Tome and Principe 55.9% 2024 up 1.3% rising
121 Honduras 55.6% 2024 up 0.8% rising
122 Nicaragua 55.5% 2024 up 2.8% flat
123 Samoa 55.3% 2024 up 1.9% rising
124 Uzbekistan 54.3% 2024 up 3.3% rising
125 Colombia 54.3% 2024 up 4.0% falling
126 Sudan 53.5% 2022 up 0.3% rising
127 Georgia 53.4% 2024 up 22.4% rising
128 Albania 49.4% 2024 up 17.4% rising
129 Thailand 49.2% 2024 up 3.8% rising
130 Djibouti 48.7% 2024 up 4.2% rising
131 Peru 48.3% 2024 up 8.1% rising
132 Somalia 47.7% 2024 up 2.2% rising
133 Ecuador 47.6% 2024 down 12.1% flat
134 Eritrea 47.4% 2024 up 1.4% rising
135 Indonesia 46.3% 2024 up 0.2% rising
136 Vietnam 46.2% 2024 up 29.5% rising
137 Cambodia 44.2% 2024 up 6.4% rising
138 Pakistan 42.8% 2024 up 7.6% rising
139 Mauritania 42.3% 2024 up 0.3% rising
140 Comoros 42.0% 2024 up 1.3% rising
141 Moldova 41.3% 2024 up 2.1% falling
142 Vanuatu 39.4% 2024 up 16.5% rising
143 Malawi 38.7% 2024 up 2.5% rising
144 Bangladesh 38.6% 2024 down 0.1% rising
145 North Korea 37.9% 2024 down 1.6% flat
146 Senegal 35.3% 2024 up 7.2% rising
147 Kenya 35.1% 2024 down 4.0% rising
148 Myanmar 34.5% 2024 up 3.5% rising
149 Bolivia 33.5% 2024 up 25.4% rising
150 Azerbaijan 32.8% 2024 down 1.2% flat
151 Ghana 32.1% 2024 up 38.5% rising
152 Gambia 31.0% 2024 up 21.2% rising
153 Cameroon 30.4% 2024 up 36.2% rising
154 Bhutan 30.1% 2024 up 4.3% rising
155 Solomon Islands 29.9% 2024 up 1.8% rising
156 Cote d'Ivoire 28.7% 2024 up 18.3% rising
157 East Timor 24.9% 2024 up 2.4% rising
158 India 24.6% 2024 up 23.5% rising
159 Guinea-Bissau 24.3% 2024 up 5.0% rising
160 Angola 24.1% 2024 down 4.7% rising
161 Haiti 23.2% 2024 down 7.6% flat
162 Mali 23.1% 2024 up 29.9% rising
163 Congo 23.1% 2024 down 2.2% rising
164 Togo 23.0% 2024 up 26.0% rising
165 Laos 22.6% 2024 up 19.9% rising
166 Liberia 21.4% 2024 up 2.5% rising
167 Nepal 21.2% 2024 up 13.7% rising
168 Papua New Guinea 21.2% 2024 up 7.4% rising
169 Benin 19.8% 2024 up 23.9% rising
170 Uganda 19.3% 2024 down 10.0% rising
171 Guinea 17.8% 2024 up 28.4% rising
172 South Sudan 17.5% 2023 up 18.0% flat
173 Burkina Faso 17.2% 2024 up 0.0% rising
174 Afghanistan 16.6% 2024 up 22.1% volatile
175 Ethiopia 15.4% 2024 up 25.1% rising
176 Burundi 15.1% 2024 up 18.5% rising
177 Zambia 15.0% 2004 down 7.0% falling
178 Democratic Republic of Congo 14.7% 2024 down 12.5% falling
179 Mozambique 14.5% 2024 up 9.9% rising
180 Central African Republic 14.5% 2024 down 1.1% flat
181 Tanzania 14.5% 2024 up 15.6% rising
182 Nigeria 13.6% 2024 up 11.0% rising
183 Madagascar 11.5% 2024 up 7.2% falling
184 Sierra Leone 11.0% 2024 up 0.3% rising
185 Niger 10.3% 2024 up 18.6% falling
186 Chad 8.5% 2024 down 6.2% rising

About this data

Indicator
Employment by status
Unit
%
Source
International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,257 data points, 1991–2024
Last refreshed

Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.