Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World
Arab World: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 74.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World is 74.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World peaked at 74.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 61.4%, in 1991.
Arab World ranks 11th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 61.4% | — |
| 1992 | 61.8% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 61.9% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 62.2% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 62.5% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 63.0% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 63.7% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 63.9% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 64.6% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 64.5% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 65.2% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 65.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 65.1% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 65.1% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 66.4% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 67.3% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 66.9% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 68.1% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 68.5% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 69.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 69.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 70.5% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 70.7% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 70.7% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 71.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 71.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 71.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 71.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 71.6% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 72.0% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 71.9% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 72.4% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 74.1% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 74.3% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 74.5% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62.8% | 61.4% | 64.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 66.2% | 64.5% | 68.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.9% | 69.3% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.2% | 71.9% | 74.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
- 8 United States of America 93.9% compare
- 9 Russian Federation 93.7% compare
- 10 Macau, China 93.2% compare
- 11 Belarus 93.2% compare
- 12 Brunei Darussalam 92.7% compare
- 13 Hong Kong, China 92.3% compare
- 14 Denmark 92.1% compare
More work & labour data for Arab World
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 48.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 10.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 39.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 25.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 20.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 73.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 46.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 70.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 30.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Arab World was 74.5% 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 Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 74.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.4% in 1991.
- How does Arab World rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Arab World ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World 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.
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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.