Countries by employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over, 2025

Qatar had the highest employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over of 181 countries in 2025, at 86.9%. São Tomé and Príncipe had the lowest, at 21.2%. The median was 57.8% and the figure for the World was 58.1%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest86.9Qatar
Median57.8181 countries
World58.1History

Top 40 countries, 2025

Qatar: 86.9 %Qatar86.9Solomon Islands: 83.1 %Solomon Islands83.1Madagascar: 82.9 %Madagascar82.9Tanzania: 82.4 %Tanzania82.4Cambodia: 82.2 %Cambodia82.2Nigeria: 80 %Nigeria80Niger: 79.4 %Niger79.4North Korea: 79.2 %North Korea79.2Uganda: 77.8 %Uganda77.8Burundi: 77.5 %Burundi77.5United Arab Emirates: 76.9 %United Arab Emirates76.9Bolivia: 76.3 %Bolivia76.3Benin: 75.1 %Benin75.1Liberia: 74.4 %Liberia74.4Eritrea: 73.7 %Eritrea73.7Mozambique: 73.5 %Mozambique73.5Iceland: 72.2 %Iceland72.2Kuwait: 71.8 %Kuwait71.8Vietnam: 71.7 %Vietnam71.7Moldova: 71.2 %Moldova71.2Bahrain: 69.7 %Bahrain69.7Peru: 69.1 %Peru69.1Central African Republic: 68.8 %Central African Republic68.8Singapore: 67.7 %Singapore67.7Burkina Faso: 67.6 %Burkina Faso67.6Jamaica: 67.3 %Jamaica67.3Bahamas: 67 %Bahamas67Paraguay: 66.9 %Paraguay66.9New Zealand: 66.8 %New Zealand66.8Macao: 66.3 %Macao66.3Ethiopia: 66.2 %Ethiopia66.2Thailand: 66.2 %Thailand66.2Oman: 66.2 %Oman66.2Timor-Leste: 65.9 %Timor-Leste65.9Indonesia: 65.8 %Indonesia65.8Côte d’Ivoire: 65.5 %Côte d’Ivoire65.5Laos: 65.3 %Laos65.3Mali: 65.1 %Mali65.1Netherlands: 64.6 %Netherlands64.6Kazakhstan: 64.5 %Kazakhstan64.5
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Employment to population ratio, 15+, total, %, modeled ILO estimate (SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCountries2025 (%)Change on 2024
1Qatar86.9-0.2 pts
2Solomon Islands83.10 pts
3Madagascar82.90 pts
4Tanzania82.4-0 pts
5Cambodia82.20 pts
6Nigeria80-0.1 pts
7Niger79.4+0.2 pts
8North Korea79.2-0 pts
9Uganda77.80 pts
10Burundi77.5-0.2 pts
11United Arab Emirates76.9+0.1 pts
12Bolivia76.3+0.5 pts
13Benin75.1+0.1 pts
14Liberia74.4-0 pts
15Eritrea73.7-0 pts
16Mozambique73.5-0 pts
17Iceland72.2-0.2 pts
18Kuwait71.8-0.2 pts
19Vietnam71.7-0.3 pts
20Moldova71.2+0.1 pts
21Bahrain69.7-0.2 pts
22Peru69.1+0.1 pts
23Central African Republic68.8-0 pts
24Singapore67.7+0.4 pts
25Burkina Faso67.6-0.1 pts
26Jamaica67.30 pts
27Bahamas67-0.3 pts
28Paraguay66.9+0.6 pts
29New Zealand66.8-0.4 pts
30Macao66.3-0.5 pts
31Ethiopia66.20 pts
32Thailand66.2-0.4 pts
33Oman66.2+0.1 pts
34Timor-Leste65.9+0.2 pts
35Indonesia65.8+0.1 pts
36Côte d’Ivoire65.5-0.1 pts
37Laos65.3+0.1 pts
38Mali65.1-0.1 pts
39Netherlands64.6-0.3 pts
40Kazakhstan64.5-2.6 pts
41Angola64.2-0.1 pts
42Australia63.8-0.3 pts
43Kenya63.7-0 pts
44Cyprus63.7-0.2 pts
45Malaysia63.6+0.1 pts
46Switzerland63.5-0.7 pts
47Israel63.2+0.1 pts
48Saudi Arabia63.1+0.2 pts
49Guinea-Bissau63.10 pts
50Cameroon62.8-0.3 pts
51Nicaragua62.7-0 pts
52Bhutan62.7-0 pts
53South Korea62.6-0 pts
54Norway62.6-0.6 pts
55Ecuador62.4+0.1 pts
56Malta62.1-0 pts
57Japan61.9+0.2 pts
58Ireland61.8-0.4 pts
59Saint Lucia61.8+0.5 pts
60China61.6-0.4 pts
61Dominican Republic61.5+0.3 pts
62Democratic Republic of the Congo61.5-0.1 pts
63Zimbabwe61.4+0.1 pts
64Denmark61.3-0.2 pts
65Brunei60.8-0.3 pts
66Panama60.80 pts
67Maldives60.6+0.1 pts
68Belarus60.6-0.4 pts
69Barbados60.5-0.3 pts
70Uruguay60.1+0.4 pts
71Canada60.1-0.6 pts
72El Salvador60.1+0.2 pts
73Philippines60-0.1 pts
74Mexico60-0 pts
75Azerbaijan59.8-0.5 pts
76Russia59.8-0.5 pts
77Estonia59.7-0.8 pts
78Malawi59.4-0.3 pts
79Brazil59.4+0.3 pts
80United States59.1-0.4 pts
81Sweden59-0.3 pts
82Chad58.8-0.2 pts
83Guam58.8-0.2 pts
84Lithuania58.7-0.1 pts
85Czechia58.6-0.4 pts
86United Kingdom58.5-0.4 pts
87Germany58.3-0.5 pts
88Zambia58.30 pts
89Colombia58.1+0.7 pts
90Guatemala58.1-0.1 pts
91Hungary57.8-0.1 pts
92Luxembourg57.6-0.2 pts
93Argentina57.50 pts
94Albania57.2+0.1 pts
95Slovakia57.2-0.4 pts
96Ghana56.8-0.6 pts
97Austria56.8-0.6 pts
98Chile56.7-0.2 pts
99Togo56.7-0.1 pts
100Poland56.6-0.4 pts
101Bangladesh56.6-0.2 pts
102Mongolia56.6-0.6 pts
103Latvia56.5-0.1 pts
104Georgia56.5-0.4 pts
105Rwanda56.4+0.1 pts
106Trinidad and Tobago55.8-0.4 pts
107Slovenia55.7-0.1 pts
108Saint Vincent and the Grenadines55.7-0.1 pts
109Equatorial Guinea55.5-0.4 pts
110Kyrgyzstan55.3-0.1 pts
111Mauritius55.2-0.2 pts
112Vanuatu55.2-0.3 pts
113Serbia54.9+0.1 pts
114Uzbekistan54.8-0.3 pts
115Hong Kong54.8-0.4 pts
116Portugal54.6-0.1 pts
117Haiti54.4-0.2 pts
118Republic of the Congo54.3-0 pts
119Bulgaria54.1+0.2 pts
120Fiji54.1-0 pts
121Finland54-0.8 pts
122Belize53.9+2 pts
123Honduras53.8-0 pts
124Costa Rica53.70 pts
125Comoros53.6+0.4 pts
126Myanmar53.4-0.1 pts
127India53.3-0 pts
128Botswana52-0.3 pts
129Armenia51.7-0.7 pts
130Sierra Leone51.7-0.2 pts
131Spain51.5+0.2 pts
132Cuba51.3-0.4 pts
133France51.2-0.4 pts
134Belgium51.1-0.4 pts
135Papua New Guinea50.7+0.1 pts
136Senegal50.6+0.2 pts
137Cape Verde50.2-0 pts
138New Caledonia50.1-0.5 pts
139Montenegro50.1-0.4 pts
140Guinea49.9-0.2 pts
141Türkiye49.7+0.3 pts
142Suriname49.6-0.1 pts
143Croatia49.5-0.2 pts
144Pakistan49.5+0.1 pts
145Venezuela49.2-0.1 pts
146Tonga48.8-0.4 pts
147Guyana48.4-0.2 pts
148Romania48.3-0.4 pts
149U.S. Virgin Islands48.1-0.1 pts
150Lesotho47.8-0.2 pts
151Greece47.5+0.4 pts
152Namibia47.5-0.1 pts
153Sri Lanka46.60 pts
154French Polynesia46.3-0.4 pts
155Italy46.2-0.2 pts
156North Macedonia45.6-0.2 pts
157Gambia44.4-0.1 pts
158Bosnia and Herzegovina43.6-0.4 pts
159Egypt41.5-0 pts
160Gabon40.8-0.2 pts
161Samoa40.4-0.6 pts
162Turkmenistan40.2-0.2 pts
163Puerto Rico40.20 pts
164Morocco40-0.1 pts
165Libya39-0.1 pts
166Tunisia38.4-0.1 pts
167South Africa37.6-0.1 pts
168Iran37.6-0.3 pts
169Mauritania36.6-0.1 pts
170Algeria36-0.3 pts
171Tajikistan35.6-0 pts
172Nepal35.1-0 pts
173Iraq35.1-0.1 pts
174Eswatini33.7+0.2 pts
175Jordan33.4+0.1 pts
176Afghanistan32.50 pts
177Syria31.9-0.2 pts
178Somalia27.4-0 pts
179Yemen27.4-0.2 pts
180Djibouti23.5-0 pts
181São Tomé and Príncipe21.2-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Employed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 and over. ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, annual.

A separate series from employment_population_ratio, which is the US civilian series for ages 16 and over from the Current Population Survey. This one covers ages 15 and over for countries and the World.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 5 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2025 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Employment to population ratio, 15+, total, %, modeled ILO estimate (SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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Questions

Which country has the highest employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over?

Qatar, with 86.9% in 2025, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over?

São Tomé and Príncipe, with 21.2% in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Employment to population ratio, 15+, total, %, modeled ILO estimate (SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-11. 5 countries have no value for 2025 and are not ranked.

Employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over: other rankings

Countries: more rankings