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

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 San Marino 90.64 2015
2 Qatar 86.31 2020
3 Solomon Islands 85.36 2013
4 Madagascar 84.84 2015
5 Tanzania 82.18 2014
6 Ethiopia 79.41 2013
7 Cayman Islands 79.28 2015
8 Burundi 77.76 2017
9 Grenada 77.10 2015
10 United Arab Emirates 76.90 2020
11 Mozambique 76.34 2015
12 Iceland 74.65 2020
13 Kuwait 72.24 2016
14 Bahrain 70.93 2015
14 Macao SAR, China 70.93 2016
16 Cuba 70.50 2013
17 Cameroon 69.55 2014
18 Cambodia 68.46 2019
19 Oman 68.11 2020
20 Belarus 67.46 2020
21 China 67.35 2019
22 Sweden 67.21 2020
23 New Zealand 67.00 2020
24 Vietnam 66.94 2020
25 Thailand 66.28 2020
26 Kazakhstan 65.90 2020
27 Antigua and Barbuda 65.76 2001
28 Mauritius 65.35 2020
29 Malaysia 65.33 2020
30 St. Kitts and Nevis 65.26 2001
31 Paraguay 64.82 2020
32 Switzerland 64.60 2020
33 Indonesia 64.53 2020
34 Singapore 64.50 2020
35 Kenya 64.40 2019
36 Bolivia 64.18 2020
37 The Bahamas 64.05 2012
38 Timor-Leste 63.94 2016
39 Palau 63.53 2014
40 Belize 63.41 2019
41 Seychelles 63.08 2020
42 Venezuela 63.06 2017
42 Dem. Rep. Congo 63.06 2012
44 Mali 62.72 2018
45 Australia 62.47 2021
46 Azerbaijan 62.10 2020
47 Netherlands 62.08 2020
48 Nicaragua 62.03 2014
49 Benin 61.82 2018
50 Bhutan 61.60 2015
51 Norway 61.01 2020
52 United Kingdom 60.85 2019
53 Peru 60.39 2020
54 Brunei 60.38 2020
55 Japan 60.37 2021
56 Korea 60.34 2020
57 Canada 60.22 2021
58 Greenland 60.00 2015
59 Malta 59.68 2020
60 Nauru 59.57 2013
61 Estonia 59.30 2020
62 Chad 59.29 2018
63 Germany 59.25 2020
64 Myanmar 59.19 2019
65 Israel 59.12 2020
66 Liechtenstein 59.10 2017
67 St. Lucia 58.85 2019
68 Denmark 58.52 2020
69 Russia 58.43 2020
70 United States 58.36 2021
71 Czech Republic 58.27 2020
72 Jamaica 57.95 2021
73 Cyprus 57.94 2020
74 Guatemala 57.87 2019
75 Ireland 57.69 2020
76 Austria 57.51 2020
77 Trinidad and Tobago 57.37 2016
78 Lithuania 57.30 2020
79 El Salvador 57.16 2020
80 Barbados 57.05 2019
81 Luxembourg 56.69 2020
82 Latvia 56.68 2020
83 Dominican Republic 56.65 2020
84 Ecuador 56.42 2020
85 Hong Kong SAR, China 56.09 2020
86 Togo 55.90 2017
87 Kyrgyz Republic 55.86 2020
88 Bangladesh 55.78 2017
89 Haiti 55.11 2012
90 Fiji 55.10 2016
90 Slovak Republic 55.10 2020
92 Saudi Arabia 54.96 2020
93 Slovenia 54.90 2020
94 New Caledonia 54.67 2014
95 Mongolia 54.65 2020
96 Uruguay 54.56 2020
97 Ghana 54.55 2017
98 Hungary 54.48 2020
99 Finland 54.45 2020
100 Poland 54.32 2020
101 Côte d'Ivoire 54.23 2017
101 Guinea-Bissau 54.23 2018
103 Portugal 54.07 2020
104 Panama 53.50 2021
105 Albania 53.39 2019
106 Philippines 53.37 2020
107 Colombia 53.27 2020
108 Uzbekistan 53.24 2020
109 Mexico 53.03 2020
110 Honduras 52.96 2020
111 Bulgaria 52.70 2020
112 Nigeria 52.58 2019
113 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 52.50 2008
114 Romania 52.29 2020
115 Sierra Leone 52.19 2018
116 Suriname 51.67 2016
117 Dominica 51.37 2001
118 Brazil 51.32 2020
119 Cabo Verde 50.95 2019
120 Belgium 50.84 2020
121 Tuvalu 50.72 2016
122 Guinea 50.23 2019
123 France 50.17 2020
124 Ukraine 49.87 2020
125 Sri Lanka 49.81 2019
126 Argentina 49.60 2020
127 Senegal 49.26 2019
128 Chile 49.12 2020
129 Pakistan 49.11 2019
130 Serbia 49.09 2020
131 India 48.72 2020
132 Costa Rica 48.50 2020
133 Malawi 47.98 2020
134 Spain 47.90 2020
135 Monaco 47.89 2016
136 Papua New Guinea 47.38 2010
137 Croatia 47.20 2020
138 Namibia 47.18 2018
139 Vanuatu 46.25 2019
140 Rwanda 45.75 2020
141 Botswana 45.58 2020
142 North Macedonia 45.44 2020
143 Tonga 45.26 2018
144 Armenia 45.20 2020
145 Italy 44.07 2020
146 Montenegro 43.81 2020
147 Uganda 43.63 2017
148 Guyana 43.31 2019
149 Lebanon 43.25 2019
150 Turkey 42.84 2020
151 Burkina Faso 42.79 2018
152 Greece 42.69 2020
153 Morocco 42.22 2016
154 Georgia 41.14 2020
155 Sudan 41.12 2011
156 Comoros 40.85 2014
157 Turkmenistan 40.27 1999
158 Bosnia and Herzegovina 40.09 2020
159 Tunisia 39.77 2017
160 Eswatini 39.52 2016
161 Tajikistan 39.45 2016
162 Angola 39.38 2014
163 Syrian Arab Republic 39.02 2010
164 Gabon 38.80 2010
165 Moldova 38.78 2020
166 Lesotho 38.72 2019
167 Libya 38.66 2012
168 Egypt 38.24 2020
169 Samoa 37.07 2017
170 Iran 36.98 2020
171 Lao PDR 36.94 2017
172 Algeria 36.91 2017
173 Mauritania 36.85 2017
174 Afghanistan 36.71 2020
175 Iraq 36.43 2017
176 Congo 36.00 2009
177 South Africa 35.78 2020
178 Zimbabwe 35.66 2019
179 Puerto Rico 35.21 2015
180 Nepal 34.16 2017
181 The Gambia 33.46 2018
182 Kiribati 32.73 2019
183 Jordan 32.27 2020
184 Yemen 31.37 2014
185 Zambia 30.85 2019
186 São Tomé and Principe 29.23 2006
187 Somalia 25.48 2019
188 Niger 24.43 2017
189 Djibouti 23.86 2017
190 Liberia 22.88 2017

More rankings: Africa | Asia | Central America & the Caribbean | Europe | Middle East | North America | Oceania | South America | World |

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.