Data / Rankings / Employment in services / Countries

Countries by employment in services

Djibouti had the highest employment in services of 186 countries in 2017, at 93%. Burundi had the lowest, at 10.2%. The median was 58.6% and the figure for the World was 49.1%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest93Djibouti
Lowest10.2Burundi
Median58.6186 countries
World49.1History

Map of countries, 2017

United Arab Emirates: 66.8 %Afghanistan: 36.8 %Albania: 42.2 %Armenia: 51.9 %Angola: 40 %Argentina: 71.1 %Austria: 71.1 %Australia: 78 %Azerbaijan: 49.3 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 50.5 %Bangladesh: 39 %Belgium: 77.6 %Burkina Faso: 29.7 %Bulgaria: 63.5 %Burundi: 10.2 %Benin: 40.1 %Brunei: 82.5 %Bolivia: 49.2 %Brazil: 69.9 %Bahamas: 84.6 %Bhutan: 32.8 %Botswana: 68 %Belarus: 58.5 %Belize: 66.9 %Canada: 78.7 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 31.4 %Central African Republic: 21.3 %Republic of the Congo: 42.9 %Switzerland: 76.4 %Côte d’Ivoire: 41.2 %Chile: 70.2 %Cameroon: 40.8 %China: 43.3 %Colombia: 64.4 %Costa Rica: 66.8 %Cuba: 65.1 %Cape Verde: 64.6 %Cyprus: 80.4 %Czechia: 59.1 %Germany: 71.3 %Djibouti: 93 %Denmark: 79 %Dominican Republic: 70.2 %Algeria: 58.9 %Ecuador: 54 %Estonia: 66.2 %Egypt: 48.4 %Eritrea: 29.3 %Spain: 75.7 %Ethiopia: 27.9 %Finland: 74.4 %Fiji: 48.9 %France: 77 %Gabon: 53.7 %United Kingdom: 80.6 %Georgia: 41.5 %Ghana: 40.5 %Gambia: 53 %Guinea: 36.6 %Equatorial Guinea: 32.9 %Greece: 72.8 %Guatemala: 49.2 %Guinea-Bissau: 28.1 %Guyana: 58.7 %Hong Kong: 85.7 %Honduras: 53.4 %Croatia: 66.9 %Haiti: 44.9 %Hungary: 63.4 %Indonesia: 47.4 %Ireland: 76.1 %Israel: 81.6 %India: 32.5 %Iraq: 64.8 %Iran: 50.7 %Iceland: 78.8 %Italy: 70.2 %Jamaica: 67.5 %Jordan: 76.5 %Japan: 71.8 %Kenya: 37.9 %Kyrgyzstan: 54.9 %Cambodia: 36.3 %North Korea: 23.2 %South Korea: 69.9 %Kuwait: 72.8 %Kazakhstan: 64.8 %Laos: 23 %Lebanon: 74.7 %Sri Lanka: 45.5 %Liberia: 51.2 %Lesotho: 36.5 %Lithuania: 67.1 %Luxembourg: 87.9 %Latvia: 70.4 %Libya: 70.1 %Morocco: 43.7 %Moldova: 30.8 %Montenegro: 75 %Madagascar: 17.8 %North Macedonia: 53.6 %Mali: 28.6 %Myanmar: 33 %Mongolia: 46.4 %Mauritania: 50.8 %Mauritius: 69.2 %Malawi: 27.7 %Mexico: 62 %Malaysia: 61 %Mozambique: 20.6 %Namibia: 61 %New Caledonia: 73.6 %Niger: 17.6 %Nigeria: 46.8 %Nicaragua: 52.1 %Netherlands: 81.2 %Norway: 78.2 %Nepal: 45 %New Zealand: 73 %Oman: 52 %Panama: 66.4 %Peru: 59.6 %French Polynesia: 82.8 %Papua New Guinea: 60.7 %Philippines: 56.2 %Pakistan: 35.9 %Poland: 58.1 %Puerto Rico: 82.9 %Palestine: 64.8 %Portugal: 72.2 %Paraguay: 59.9 %Qatar: 44.3 %Romania: 52.8 %Serbia: 52 %Russia: 67.2 %Rwanda: 33.6 %Saudi Arabia: 69.7 %Solomon Islands: 50.5 %Sudan: 47.4 %Sweden: 80 %Singapore: 84 %Slovenia: 65.1 %Slovakia: 59.5 %Sierra Leone: 41.7 %Senegal: 53.1 %Somalia: 56.3 %Suriname: 66.7 %South Sudan: 36.2 %El Salvador: 59.5 %Syria: 58 %Eswatini: 63.9 %Chad: 20.4 %Togo: 46.9 %Thailand: 45.6 %Tajikistan: 37.9 %Timor-Leste: 44.5 %Turkmenistan: 46.8 %Tunisia: 51.9 %Türkiye: 52.9 %Trinidad and Tobago: 69.6 %Tanzania: 26.5 %Ukraine: 60.5 %Uganda: 21.7 %United States: 78.6 %Uruguay: 72.4 %Uzbekistan: 49.8 %Venezuela: 71.8 %Vietnam: 34.1 %Vanuatu: 43.3 %Samoa: 56.1 %Yemen: 57.1 %South Africa: 71.4 %Zambia: 29.4 %Zimbabwe: 25.9 %
  • Under 36
  • 36 to 47
  • 47 to 57
  • 57 to 67
  • 67 to 73
  • 73 and over
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%, 2017. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

Top 40 countries, 2017

Djibouti: 93 %Djibouti93Luxembourg: 87.9 %Luxembourg87.9Macao: 86.4 %Macao86.4Hong Kong: 85.7 %Hong Kong85.7Bahamas: 84.6 %Bahamas84.6Singapore: 84 %Singapore84Puerto Rico: 82.9 %Puerto Rico82.9French Polynesia: 82.8 %French Polynesia82.8Brunei: 82.5 %Brunei82.5Israel: 81.6 %Israel81.6Netherlands: 81.2 %Netherlands81.2United Kingdom: 80.6 %United Kingdom80.6Cyprus: 80.4 %Cyprus80.4Sweden: 80 %Sweden80U.S. Virgin Islands: 79.8 %U.S. Virgin Islands79.8Malta: 79.2 %Malta79.2Denmark: 79 %Denmark79Iceland: 78.8 %Iceland78.8Canada: 78.7 %Canada78.7United States: 78.6 %United States78.6Guam: 78.2 %Guam78.2Norway: 78.2 %Norway78.2Australia: 78 %Australia78Belgium: 77.6 %Belgium77.6Barbados: 77.6 %Barbados77.6France: 77 %France77Jordan: 76.5 %Jordan76.5Switzerland: 76.4 %Switzerland76.4Ireland: 76.1 %Ireland76.1Spain: 75.7 %Spain75.7Montenegro: 75 %Montenegro75Lebanon: 74.7 %Lebanon74.7Finland: 74.4 %Finland74.4New Caledonia: 73.6 %New Caledonia73.6Saint Lucia: 73.3 %Saint Lucia73.3New Zealand: 73 %New Zealand73Greece: 72.8 %Greece72.8Kuwait: 72.8 %Kuwait72.8Uruguay: 72.4 %Uruguay72.4Portugal: 72.2 %Portugal72.2Djibouti: 93 %Djibouti93Luxembourg: 87.9 %Luxembourg87.9Macao: 86.4 %Macao86.4Hong Kong: 85.7 %Hong Kong85.7Bahamas: 84.6 %Bahamas84.6Singapore: 84 %Singapore84Puerto Rico: 82.9 %Puerto Rico82.9French Polynesia: 82.8 %French Polynesia82.8Brunei: 82.5 %Brunei82.5Israel: 81.6 %Israel81.6Netherlands: 81.2 %Netherlands81.2United Kingdom: 80.6 %United Kingdom80.6Cyprus: 80.4 %Cyprus80.4Sweden: 80 %Sweden80U.S. Virgin Islands: 79.8 %U.S. Virgin Islands79.8Malta: 79.2 %Malta79.2Denmark: 79 %Denmark79Iceland: 78.8 %Iceland78.8Canada: 78.7 %Canada78.7United States: 78.6 %United States78.6Guam: 78.2 %Guam78.2Norway: 78.2 %Norway78.2Australia: 78 %Australia78Belgium: 77.6 %Belgium77.6Barbados: 77.6 %Barbados77.6France: 77 %France77Jordan: 76.5 %Jordan76.5Switzerland: 76.4 %Switzerland76.4Ireland: 76.1 %Ireland76.1Spain: 75.7 %Spain75.7Montenegro: 75 %Montenegro75Lebanon: 74.7 %Lebanon74.7Finland: 74.4 %Finland74.4New Caledonia: 73.6 %New Caledonia73.6Saint Lucia: 73.3 %Saint Lucia73.3New Zealand: 73 %New Zealand73Greece: 72.8 %Greece72.8Kuwait: 72.8 %Kuwait72.8Uruguay: 72.4 %Uruguay72.4Portugal: 72.2 %Portugal72.2
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Djibouti93-0.1 pts
2Luxembourg87.9+1.6 pts
3Macao86.4+0.6 pts
4Hong Kong85.7+0.1 pts
5Bahamas84.6-0.1 pts
6Singapore84+0.3 pts
7Puerto Rico82.9+0.2 pts
8French Polynesia82.8+0.1 pts
9Brunei82.5+0.5 pts
10Israel81.6+0.1 pts
11Netherlands81.2-0.5 pts
12United Kingdom80.6+0.2 pts
13Cyprus80.4+1.1 pts
14Sweden80+0.1 pts
15U.S. Virgin Islands79.8+0.5 pts
16Malta79.2+0.2 pts
17Denmark79+0.3 pts
18Iceland78.8+0.1 pts
19Canada78.7+0.2 pts
20United States78.6+0.1 pts
21Guam78.2+0.2 pts
22Norway78.2-0.3 pts
23Australia78+0.6 pts
24Belgium77.6+0.2 pts
25Barbados77.6-0.3 pts
26France77+0.1 pts
27Jordan76.5+0.5 pts
28Switzerland76.4+0.2 pts
29Ireland76.1-0.1 pts
30Spain75.7-0.5 pts
31Montenegro75+0.2 pts
32Lebanon74.7+0.3 pts
33Finland74.4+0.6 pts
34New Caledonia73.6-0.1 pts
35Saint Lucia73.3+0.4 pts
36New Zealand73-0.1 pts
37Greece72.8+0.1 pts
38Kuwait72.8-0 pts
39Uruguay72.4-0.2 pts
40Portugal72.20 pts
41Venezuela71.8-1 pts
42Japan71.8+0.1 pts
43Maldives71.5-0.5 pts
44South Africa71.4+0.3 pts
45Germany71.3-0 pts
46Austria71.1+1.1 pts
47Argentina71.1+0.6 pts
48Latvia70.4+2.2 pts
49Dominican Republic70.2-1 pts
50Italy70.2+0.2 pts
51Chile70.2+0.4 pts
52Libya70.1-0.1 pts
53South Korea69.9-0.1 pts
54Brazil69.9+1 pts
55Saudi Arabia69.7+0.1 pts
56Trinidad and Tobago69.6+0.6 pts
57Mauritius69.2+1.8 pts
58Saint Vincent and the Grenadines69+0.3 pts
59Botswana68+0.3 pts
60Jamaica67.5-0.1 pts
61Russia67.2+0.8 pts
62Lithuania67.1+0.2 pts
63Croatia66.9+1.1 pts
64Belize66.9+1.2 pts
65United Arab Emirates66.8+0.5 pts
66Costa Rica66.8+0.4 pts
67Suriname66.7-0.1 pts
68Panama66.4+0.8 pts
69Estonia66.2+0.3 pts
70Cuba65.1+0.3 pts
71Slovenia65.1-0.6 pts
72São Tomé and Príncipe64.9+0.3 pts
73Kazakhstan64.8+1.4 pts
74Palestine64.8+0.2 pts
75Iraq64.8+0.1 pts
76Cape Verde64.6+0.3 pts
77Colombia64.4-0.8 pts
78Eswatini63.9+1.5 pts
79Bahrain63.70 pts
80Bulgaria63.5+0.6 pts
81Hungary63.4-1.1 pts
82Mexico62-0.4 pts
83Malaysia61-0.2 pts
84Namibia61+0.4 pts
85Papua New Guinea60.7-1 pts
86Ukraine60.5+0.1 pts
87Paraguay59.9+0.7 pts
88Peru59.6+1.4 pts
89El Salvador59.5-0.7 pts
90Slovakia59.5-0.5 pts
91Czechia59.1+0.1 pts
92Algeria58.9-1.3 pts
93Guyana58.7+0.4 pts
94Belarus58.5-0.2 pts
95Poland58.1+0.1 pts
96Syria58-0.2 pts
97Yemen57.1+0.3 pts
98Somalia56.3+2.3 pts
99Philippines56.2+0.7 pts
100Samoa56.1+0.4 pts
101Kyrgyzstan54.9+0.4 pts
102Ecuador54-0.7 pts
103Gabon53.7-0 pts
104North Macedonia53.6+0.4 pts
105Honduras53.4-3.3 pts
106Senegal53.1+2.1 pts
107Gambia53+0.4 pts
108Türkiye52.9+0.4 pts
109Romania52.80 pts
110Nicaragua52.1+0.3 pts
111Serbia52+0.7 pts
112Oman52-2.2 pts
113Armenia51.9+1.3 pts
114Tunisia51.90 pts
115Liberia51.2+0.7 pts
116Mauritania50.8+0.5 pts
117Iran50.70 pts
118Solomon Islands50.5+0.4 pts
119Bosnia and Herzegovina50.5+0.8 pts
120Uzbekistan49.8+0.3 pts
121Azerbaijan49.3-0.1 pts
122Guatemala49.2-0.4 pts
123Bolivia49.2+0.1 pts
124Fiji48.9+0.7 pts
125Egypt48.4-0.5 pts
126Sudan47.4+0.6 pts
127Indonesia47.4+0.7 pts
128Comoros46.9+1.6 pts
129Togo46.9+0.4 pts
130Turkmenistan46.8+0.7 pts
131Nigeria46.8+0.4 pts
132Mongolia46.4+1.2 pts
133Thailand45.6+0.5 pts
134Sri Lanka45.5-1 pts
135Nepal45+0.4 pts
136Haiti44.9+0.4 pts
137Timor-Leste44.5+1.7 pts
138Qatar44.30 pts
139Morocco43.7+0.7 pts
140China43.3+0.4 pts
141Vanuatu43.3+1.5 pts
142Republic of the Congo42.90 pts
143Tonga42.5+0.2 pts
144Albania42.2+2 pts
145Sierra Leone41.7+2.4 pts
146Georgia41.5-0.5 pts
147Côte d’Ivoire41.2+1.4 pts
148Cameroon40.8+0.8 pts
149Ghana40.5+0.6 pts
150Benin40.10 pts
151Angola40-0.1 pts
152Bangladesh39+2.1 pts
153Kenya37.9+0.4 pts
154Tajikistan37.9+0.9 pts
155Afghanistan36.8+1.6 pts
156Guinea36.6+0.8 pts
157Lesotho36.5-0.3 pts
158Cambodia36.3-0.4 pts
159South Sudan36.2+0.4 pts
160Pakistan35.9+1.7 pts
161Vietnam34.1+0.7 pts
162Rwanda33.6+0.7 pts
163Myanmar33+0.7 pts
164Equatorial Guinea32.9-0.4 pts
165Bhutan32.8+0.2 pts
166India32.5+0.9 pts
167Democratic Republic of the Congo31.4+0.1 pts
168Moldova30.8+1.4 pts
169Burkina Faso29.7+0.9 pts
170Zambia29.4+0.2 pts
171Eritrea29.3-1.6 pts
172Mali28.6+0.3 pts
173Guinea-Bissau28.1+0.2 pts
174Ethiopia27.9+1.9 pts
175Malawi27.7+0.3 pts
176Tanzania26.5+0.4 pts
177Zimbabwe25.9+0.2 pts
178North Korea23.2+0.2 pts
179Laos23+1.2 pts
180Uganda21.7+0.1 pts
181Central African Republic21.3+0.5 pts
182Mozambique20.60 pts
183Chad20.4+0.3 pts
184Madagascar17.8+0.8 pts
185Niger17.6-0.2 pts
186Burundi10.20 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People employed in services (ISIC Rev. 4 sections G to U), including trade, transport, hotels and restaurants, finance, public administration, education and health, as a percentage of total employment. ILO modelled estimates, ages 15 and over.

ILO modelled estimates: model outputs that fill years without a survey, not survey results. The latest year is a nowcast and is revised as surveys arrive. Sectors follow ISIC; where a country counts the armed forces, they are in services.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

World Bank. (2026). Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS) (Countries by employment in services, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS

MLA 9

Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS), Countries by employment in services, 2017. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/countries?period=2017. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

World Bank. 2026. Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Countries by employment in services, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/countries?period=2017.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS), Countries by employment in services, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_employment_in_2017,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Employment in services (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS): Countries by employment in services, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in services (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - World Bank
TI  - Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS): Countries by employment in services, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/countries?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employment-in-services/countries?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest employment in services?

Djibouti, with 93% in 2017, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest employment in services?

Burundi, with 10.2% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Employment in services: other rankings

Countries: more rankings