Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO) was 14.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo is 14.9%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 19.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 2020.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 179th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.2% | — |
| 1992 | 18.7% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 18.1% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 17.6% | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 16.9% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 16.6% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 16.4% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 16.2% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 16.0% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 15.8% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 15.7% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 16.0% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 16.4% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 16.9% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 17.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 17.2% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 17.4% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 17.0% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 16.4% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 16.0% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 15.2% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 14.7% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 13.4% | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 13.9% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 14.1% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 14.4% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 14.7% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 14.9% | +1.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 14.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 19.5%, 77% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 14.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.0%, 51% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.4% | 16.2% | 19.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 15.7% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.3% | 14.7% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.2% | 13.4% | 14.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 176 Afghanistan 16.6% compare
- 177 Ethiopia 15.7% compare
- 178 Burundi 15.1% compare
- 180 Mozambique 14.7% compare
- 181 Tanzania 14.7% compare
- 182 Central African Republic 14.6% compare
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo was 14.9% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 19.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 179th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.