Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Lower middle income
Lower middle income: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 29.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Lower middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Lower middle income stood at 29.6%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Lower middle income peaked at 29.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 19.8%, in 1991.
Lower middle income ranks 33rd of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Lower middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.8% | — |
| 1992 | 20.0% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 20.2% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 20.4% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 20.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 20.8% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 21.2% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 21.3% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 21.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 21.7% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 21.9% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 22.3% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 22.4% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 23.0% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 23.4% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 23.7% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 23.9% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 24.2% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 24.5% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 25.2% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 26.4% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 27.1% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 27.6% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 27.9% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 28.3% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 28.5% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 28.3% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 28.7% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 28.6% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 29.3% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 29.6% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.6% | 19.8% | 21.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 21.7% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.8% | 24.5% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.9% | 28.3% | 29.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lower middle income
More work & labour data for Lower middle income
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 49.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 27.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 38.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 41.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 58.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 61.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 76.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 39.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 53.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Lower middle income?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Lower middle income was 29.6% 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 Lower middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Lower middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.8% in 1991.
- How does Lower middle income rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Lower middle income ranks 33rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Lower middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lower 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.