Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) was 38.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) stood at 38.3%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 56.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 38.3%, in 2025.
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 25th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 56.6% | — |
| 1992 | 56.1% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 55.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 54.9% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 54.2% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 53.6% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 52.9% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 52.6% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 52.1% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 51.7% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 50.7% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 50.2% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 49.7% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 48.6% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 47.9% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 47.2% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 46.7% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 46.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 45.3% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 44.7% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 43.9% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 43.1% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 42.6% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 41.9% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 40.5% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 40.1% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 39.7% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 39.4% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 39.8% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 39.4% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 39.2% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 39.0% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 38.6% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 38.3% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.3% | 52.1% | 56.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 48.4% | 45.3% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.7% | 39.4% | 44.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 38.3% | 39.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 22 Togo 75.0% compare
- 23 Guinea-Bissau 74.9% compare
- 24 Uganda 74.4% compare
- 25 India 71.6% compare
- 26 Papua New Guinea 71.2% compare
- 27 Zambia 70.2% compare
- 28 Côte d'Ivoire 69.4% compare
More work & labour data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 46.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 58.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 72.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 80.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 38.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 56.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.3% in 2025.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment)?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 25th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Vulnerable employment is contributing family workers and own-account workers as a percentage of total employment.