Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) - Country Ranking - Asia

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 and older are generally considered the working-age population.

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

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Uzbekistan 70.26 2020
2 Macao SAR, China 66.33 2016
3 Cambodia 61.61 2019
4 Vietnam 60.43 2020
5 Kazakhstan 60.30 2020
6 Azerbaijan 58.60 2020
7 Thailand 58.54 2020
8 United Arab Emirates 58.29 2020
9 Singapore 57.73 2020
10 Timor-Leste 57.53 2016
11 Qatar 56.61 2020
12 Israel 55.81 2020
13 Bhutan 54.18 2015
14 Malaysia 52.75 2020
15 Japan 52.18 2021
16 Russia 52.07 2020
17 Hong Kong SAR, China 51.59 2020
18 Indonesia 51.17 2020
19 Korea 51.06 2020
20 Brunei 50.24 2020
21 Mongolia 48.34 2020
22 Kuwait 46.98 2016
23 Myanmar 45.78 2019
24 Kyrgyz Republic 42.10 2020
25 Bahrain 42.01 2015
26 Philippines 41.38 2020
27 Armenia 38.35 2020
28 Oman 34.98 2020
29 Bangladesh 33.92 2017
30 Georgia 33.88 2020
31 Lao PDR 33.68 2017
32 Sri Lanka 31.90 2019
33 Tajikistan 30.86 2016
34 Turkey 26.26 2020
35 Lebanon 25.09 2019
36 India 25.04 2020
37 Nepal 22.88 2017
38 Saudi Arabia 22.79 2020
39 Pakistan 22.05 2019
40 Afghanistan 13.73 2020
41 Iran 11.70 2020
42 Jordan 10.95 2020
43 Syrian Arab Republic 10.10 2010
44 Iraq 7.72 2017
45 Yemen 4.46 2014

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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.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.