Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) - Country Ranking - Europe

Definition: Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15-24 are generally considered the youth population.

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2019.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Iceland 64.90 2020
2 Netherlands 62.44 2020
3 Switzerland 59.44 2020
4 Denmark 53.23 2020
5 Austria 50.29 2020
6 Norway 49.37 2020
7 Malta 48.26 2020
8 Germany 48.18 2020
9 United Kingdom 47.27 2020
10 Finland 41.17 2020
11 Belarus 40.48 2020
12 Sweden 39.74 2020
13 Ireland 36.92 2020
14 Estonia 35.25 2020
15 Cyprus 32.20 2020
16 Turkey 29.60 2020
17 Latvia 29.49 2020
18 Lithuania 29.28 2020
19 France 28.44 2020
20 Poland 28.42 2020
21 Hungary 27.21 2020
22 Slovenia 26.91 2020
23 Ukraine 26.48 2020
24 Croatia 25.58 2020
25 Czech Republic 25.11 2020
26 Luxembourg 24.94 2020
27 Romania 24.54 2020
28 Belgium 24.03 2020
29 Portugal 23.30 2020
30 Albania 23.22 2020
31 Slovak Republic 22.67 2020
32 Serbia 21.19 2020
33 Bosnia and Herzegovina 20.54 2020
34 Montenegro 19.48 2020
35 North Macedonia 18.92 2020
36 Bulgaria 18.79 2020
37 Spain 18.32 2020
38 Italy 16.78 2020
39 Moldova 16.34 2020
40 Greece 13.83 2020

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Development Relevance: Four targets were added to the UN Millennium Declaration at the 2005 World Summit High-Level Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly. One was full and productive employment and decent work for all, which is seen as the main route for people to escape poverty. Employment to population ratio is a key measure to monitor whether a country is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. And it continues to be a priority in the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Limitations and Exceptions: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary. Most countries use the resident, non-institutionalized population of working age living in private households, which excludes members of the armed forces and individuals residing in mental, penal, or other types of institutions. But some countries include members of the armed forces in the population base of their employment ratio while excluding them from employment data. The reference period of a census or survey is another important source of differences: in some countries data refer to people's status on the day of the census or survey or during a specific period before the inquiry date, while in others data are recorded without reference to any period. Employment ratios tend to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. This indicator also has a gender bias because women who do not consider their work employment or who are not perceived as working tend to be undercounted. This bias has different effects across countries and reflects demographic, social, legal, and cultural trends and norms.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The employment to population ratio indicates how efficiently an economy provides jobs for people who want to work. A high ratio means that a large proportion of the population is employed. But a lower employment to population ratio can be seen as a positive sign, especially for young people, if it is caused by an increase in their education. The series is part of the ILO estimates and is harmonized to ensure comparability across countries and over time by accounting for differences in data source, scope of coverage, methodology, and other country-specific factors. The estimates are based mainly on nationally representative labor force surveys, with other sources (population censuses and nationally reported estimates) used only when no survey data are available.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.