Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national 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 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 Iceland 74.65 2020
3 Belarus 67.46 2020
4 Sweden 67.21 2020
5 Switzerland 64.60 2020
6 Netherlands 62.08 2020
7 Norway 61.01 2020
8 United Kingdom 60.85 2019
9 Malta 59.68 2020
10 Estonia 59.30 2020
11 Germany 59.25 2020
12 Liechtenstein 59.10 2017
13 Denmark 58.52 2020
14 Czech Republic 58.27 2020
15 Cyprus 57.94 2020
16 Ireland 57.69 2020
17 Austria 57.51 2020
18 Lithuania 57.30 2020
19 Luxembourg 56.69 2020
20 Latvia 56.68 2020
21 Slovak Republic 55.10 2020
22 Slovenia 54.90 2020
23 Hungary 54.48 2020
24 Finland 54.45 2020
25 Poland 54.32 2020
26 Portugal 54.07 2020
27 Albania 53.39 2019
28 Bulgaria 52.70 2020
29 Romania 52.29 2020
30 Belgium 50.84 2020
31 France 50.17 2020
32 Ukraine 49.87 2020
33 Serbia 49.09 2020
34 Spain 47.90 2020
35 Monaco 47.89 2016
36 Croatia 47.20 2020
37 North Macedonia 45.44 2020
38 Italy 44.07 2020
39 Montenegro 43.81 2020
40 Turkey 42.84 2020
41 Greece 42.69 2020
42 Bosnia and Herzegovina 40.09 2020
43 Moldova 38.78 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.

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.