Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 39.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh, 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 Bangladesh is 39.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh peaked at 39.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 1991.
That places Bangladesh 143rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom 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 Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 31.3% | — |
| 1992 | 31.5% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 31.8% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 32.0% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 32.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 32.5% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 32.8% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 33.6% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 33.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 34.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 34.5% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 34.9% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 35.3% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 35.6% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 36.1% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 36.6% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 37.1% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 37.7% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 37.9% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 38.1% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 38.4% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 38.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 38.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 39.1% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 39.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 39.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 38.5% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 38.3% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 38.4% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 38.1% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 38.6% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 39.0% | +1.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 39.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 39.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 34.7%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.3% | 31.3% | 33.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 35.2% | 33.6% | 37.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.7% | 37.7% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.5% | 38.1% | 39.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More work & labour data for Bangladesh
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4985 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4763 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5215 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 117,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 84,090 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 104,333 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 104,263 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 208,597 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh was 39.0% 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 39.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 1991.
- How does Bangladesh rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Bangladesh ranks 143rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.