Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in South Asia
South Asia: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 26.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in South Asia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Asia recorded 26.9% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in South Asia peaked at 26.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 1991.
That places South Asia 36th out of 47 groups 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 15.7% | — |
| 1992 | 15.9% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 16.2% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 16.4% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 16.7% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 17.0% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 17.2% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 17.4% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 17.7% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 18.0% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 18.1% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 18.2% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 18.5% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 18.7% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 18.9% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 19.1% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 19.3% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 19.6% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 20.6% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 21.7% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 22.1% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 22.5% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 23.0% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 23.6% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 24.7% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 25.2% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 25.1% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 25.5% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 25.3% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 25.8% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 26.5% | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 26.9% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7% | 15.7% | 17.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.5% | 17.9% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 19.6% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.9% | 25.1% | 26.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More work & labour data for South Asia
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 81.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 45.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 19.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 33.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 35.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 55.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 59.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 77.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 33.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 42.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in South Asia?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in South Asia was 26.9% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 1991.
- How does South Asia rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- South Asia ranks 36th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia 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.