Employment by status in Nepal
Nepal: Employment by status was 21.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Nepal, 1991–2024
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 Nepal is 21.2%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Nepal peaked at 21.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1991.
That places Nepal 167th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.2% | 13.3% | 15.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 15.4% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 17.5% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 20.0% | 21.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More work & labour data for Nepal
- 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)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 39.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 52.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 51.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 27.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 41.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 56.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 29.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Nepal?
- Employment by status in Nepal was 21.2% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 21.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1991.
- How does Nepal rank for employment by status?
- Nepal ranks 167th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.