Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Zambia
Zambia: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 28.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Zambia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Zambia stood at 28.3%. 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 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Zambia peaked at 28.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2005.
Zambia ranks 158th of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 17.3% | — |
| 1992 | 17.1% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 17.0% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 16.8% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 16.7% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 16.6% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 16.5% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 16.3% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 16.2% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 16.1% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 15.7% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 15.5% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 15.0% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 15.3% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 15.6% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 18.1% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | +14.0% |
| 2014 | 23.0% | +11.2% |
| 2015 | 25.1% | +9.0% |
| 2016 | 25.4% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 25.6% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 25.8% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 25.6% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 26.6% | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 26.1% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 27.7% | +6.1% |
| 2024 | 27.9% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 28.3% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7% | 16.2% | 17.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.5% | 14.8% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.6% | 18.1% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 24.7% | 28.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 155 Solomon Islands 30.1% compare
- 156 Zimbabwe 29.2% compare
- 157 Côte d'Ivoire 29.0% compare
- 159 Timor-Leste 25.1% compare
- 160 India 25.1% compare
- 161 Guinea-Bissau 24.5% compare
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5224 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,577 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,424 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 32,895 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 31,579 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 64,474 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Zambia?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Zambia was 28.3% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2005.
- How does Zambia rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Zambia ranks 158th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.