Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in World
World: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 53.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in World, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
World recorded 53.6% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in World peaked at 53.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 47.6%, in 1992.
World ranks 26th 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 World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 47.6% | — |
| 1992 | 47.6% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 47.6% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 47.7% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 47.7% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 47.9% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 48.1% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 48.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 48.2% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 48.4% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 48.7% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 48.9% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 49.0% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 49.3% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 49.8% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 50.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 50.6% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 51.0% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 51.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 51.3% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 51.7% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 52.2% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 52.4% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 52.8% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 53.1% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 53.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 53.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 53.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 53.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 53.3% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 53.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 53.3% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 53.4% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 53.5% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 53.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.8% | 47.6% | 48.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 49.7% | 48.4% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.8% | 51.3% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.4% | 53.3% | 53.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More work & labour data for World
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1226 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1316 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1143 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.688 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6.68 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3.09 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5.10 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5.08 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 10.18 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in World?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in World was 53.6% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.6% in 1992.
- How does World rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- World ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.