Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Nepal
Nepal: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 21.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Nepal, 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 Nepal is 21.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Nepal peaked at 21.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1991.
That places Nepal 169th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.3% | — |
| 1992 | 13.6% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 14.0% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 14.2% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 14.5% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 14.7% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 14.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 15.1% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 15.4% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 15.6% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 15.9% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 16.5% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 16.7% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 16.9% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 17.2% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 17.5% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 17.7% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 18.0% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 18.3% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 18.6% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 18.9% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 19.1% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 20.1% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 20.4% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 20.7% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 20.9% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 21.2% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 21.4% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.2% | 13.3% | 15.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 15.4% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 17.5% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.0% | 21.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More work & labour data for Nepal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.593 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.568 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6174 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8524 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,496 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 22,611 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 16,146 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 15,685 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 31,831 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Nepal?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Nepal was 21.4% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 21.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1991.
- How does Nepal rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Nepal ranks 169th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.