Employment by status in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Employment by status was 14.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
14.7%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
178th
of 186 countries
All-time high
19.2%
in 1991
All-time low
13.4%
in 2020
Years of data
34
1991–2024

Employment by status in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2024

051015201991200720241991: 19.2 %1992: 18.7 %1993: 18.1 %1994: 17.6 %1995: 17.1 %1996: 16.9 %1997: 16.6 %1998: 16.4 %1999: 16.2 %2000: 16 %2001: 15.8 %2002: 15.7 %2003: 15.7 %2004: 15.8 %2005: 16 %2006: 16.2 %2007: 16.4 %2008: 16.7 %2009: 16.9 %2010: 17.1 %2011: 17.2 %2012: 17.4 %2013: 17 %2014: 16.7 %2015: 16.4 %2016: 16 %2017: 15.6 %2018: 15.2 %2019: 14.7 %2020: 13.4 %2021: 13.9 %2022: 14.1 %2023: 14.4 %2024: 14.7 %

Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for employment by status in Democratic Republic of Congo is 14.7%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment by status in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 19.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 2020.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 178th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 17.4% 16.2% 19.2% 9
2000s 16.1% 15.7% 16.9% 10
2010s 16.3% 14.7% 17.4% 10
2020s 14.1% 13.4% 14.7% 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 175 Ethiopia 15.4% compare
  2. 176 Burundi 15.1% compare
  3. 177 Zambia 15.0% compare
  4. 179 Mozambique 14.5% compare
  5. 180 Central African Republic 14.5% compare
  6. 181 Tanzania 14.5% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment by status in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Employment by status in Democratic Republic of Congo was 14.7% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest employment by status recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 19.2% in 1991.
What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 2020.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for employment by status?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 178th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is employment by status rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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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.