Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 45.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Low & middle income recorded 45.0% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income peaked at 45.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 36.1%, in 1991.
That places Low & middle income 31st out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 36.1% | — |
| 1992 | 36.3% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 36.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 36.7% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 36.9% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 37.2% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 37.6% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 37.7% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 37.8% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 38.0% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 38.5% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 38.7% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 39.5% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 40.0% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 40.6% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 41.0% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 41.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 41.7% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 42.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 42.7% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 43.3% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 43.6% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 44.0% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 44.4% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 44.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 44.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 45.0% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 45.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 44.5% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 44.7% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 44.4% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 44.6% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 44.8% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 45.0% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.0% | 36.1% | 37.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 39.8% | 38.0% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.9% | 42.1% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.7% | 44.4% | 45.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More work & labour data for Low & middle income
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 33.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 42.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 65.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 47.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income was 45.0% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.1% in 1991.
- How does Low & middle income rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Low & middle income ranks 31st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.