Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 16.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan stood at 16.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan peaked at 17.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 1995.
Afghanistan ranks 176th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.6% | — |
| 1992 | 4.5% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 4.5% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 4.4% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 4.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 4.8% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 5.0% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 5.2% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 6.7% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | +6.6% |
| 2008 | 7.5% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +14.7% |
| 2010 | 9.9% | +13.8% |
| 2011 | 10.9% | +10.5% |
| 2012 | 12.0% | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 12.9% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 13.6% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 15.1% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 16.1% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 15.7% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 17.7% | +13.0% |
| 2022 | 17.2% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 16.9% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 16.6% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 16.6% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.6% | 4.4% | 5.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 5.2% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 9.9% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 15.7% | 17.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 173 Guinea 18.1% compare
- 174 South Sudan 17.5% compare
- 175 Burkina Faso 17.4% compare
- 177 Ethiopia 15.7% compare
- 178 Burundi 15.1% compare
- 179 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14.9% compare
More work & labour data for Afghanistan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4511 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4755 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.088 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,498 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 36,430 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 65,039 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 65,177 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 130,217 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Afghanistan was 16.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 1995.
- How does Afghanistan rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Afghanistan ranks 176th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.