Data / Rankings / Employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over / Countries

Countries by employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over

Qatar had the highest employment-population ratio, ages 15 and over of 186 countries in 2019, at 87.3%. São Tomé and Príncipe had the lowest, at 21.6%. The median was 57.9% and the figure for the World was 57.6%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest87.3Qatar
Lowest21.6São Tomé and Príncipe
Median57.9186 countries
World57.6History

Top 40 countries, 2019

Qatar: 87.3 %Qatar87.3Solomon Islands: 83.7 %Solomon Islands83.7Madagascar: 83.3 %Madagascar83.3Tanzania: 82.4 %Tanzania82.4Cambodia: 82.3 %Cambodia82.3North Korea: 79.4 %North Korea79.4Burundi: 78.9 %Burundi78.9United Arab Emirates: 77.6 %United Arab Emirates77.6Nigeria: 76.8 %Nigeria76.8Mozambique: 75.4 %Mozambique75.4Vietnam: 75.3 %Vietnam75.3Uganda: 74.9 %Uganda74.9Peru: 74.7 %Peru74.7Liberia: 74.5 %Liberia74.5Benin: 74.2 %Benin74.2Burkina Faso: 74.1 %Burkina Faso74.1Eritrea: 73.8 %Eritrea73.8Iceland: 73 %Iceland73Niger: 72.1 %Niger72.1Kuwait: 71.7 %Kuwait71.7Bolivia: 71.4 %Bolivia71.4Bahrain: 70.5 %Bahrain70.5Ethiopia: 69.5 %Ethiopia69.5Central African Republic: 69.1 %Central African Republic69.1Macao: 68.6 %Macao68.6Oman: 68.4 %Oman68.4Moldova: 68.3 %Moldova68.3Paraguay: 67.6 %Paraguay67.6Bahamas: 67.5 %Bahamas67.5New Zealand: 67.3 %New Zealand67.3Singapore: 66.8 %Singapore66.8Kazakhstan: 66.7 %Kazakhstan66.7Thailand: 66.5 %Thailand66.5Indonesia: 65.8 %Indonesia65.8Switzerland: 65.3 %Switzerland65.3Mali: 65.2 %Mali65.2Cameroon: 65 %Cameroon65South Sudan: 64.6 %South Sudan64.6Bhutan: 64.6 %Bhutan64.6Netherlands: 64.5 %Netherlands64.5
%. 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

RankCountries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Qatar87.3-0.1 pts
2Solomon Islands83.7-0 pts
3Madagascar83.3-0.3 pts
4Tanzania82.40 pts
5Cambodia82.3+0.5 pts
6North Korea79.4-0 pts
7Burundi78.9-0.2 pts
8United Arab Emirates77.6+0.3 pts
9Nigeria76.8-0.1 pts
10Mozambique75.4-0.2 pts
11Vietnam75.3-1.3 pts
12Uganda74.9+2.5 pts
13Peru74.7+0.3 pts
14Liberia74.5-0.1 pts
15Benin74.2+0.5 pts
16Burkina Faso74.1-0.1 pts
17Eritrea73.8-0.3 pts
18Iceland73-0.9 pts
19Niger72.1-0.2 pts
20Kuwait71.7-0.2 pts
21Bolivia71.4+2.2 pts
22Bahrain70.5-0.7 pts
23Ethiopia69.5-1.6 pts
24Central African Republic69.1-0.1 pts
25Macao68.6-0.2 pts
26Oman68.4-0.9 pts
27Moldova68.3+2.1 pts
28Paraguay67.6+0.2 pts
29Bahamas67.5+0.6 pts
30New Zealand67.3-0.2 pts
31Singapore66.8+0.7 pts
32Kazakhstan66.7-0 pts
33Thailand66.5-0.8 pts
34Indonesia65.8+1.1 pts
35Switzerland65.3-0 pts
36Mali65.2-2 pts
37Cameroon65-0.9 pts
38South Sudan64.6-0.1 pts
39Bhutan64.6+4.1 pts
40Netherlands64.5+0.6 pts
41Timor-Leste64.4-0.3 pts
42Kenya64.4-2.7 pts
43China64.3-0.6 pts
44Panama64.2+0.1 pts
45Malaysia63.7+0.3 pts
46Ecuador63.7-0.7 pts
47Jamaica63.6+1.7 pts
48Norway63.5+0.1 pts
49Belize63.4+2.4 pts
50Côte d’Ivoire63.1-0.4 pts
51Australia62.7+0.4 pts
52Angola62.6-0.2 pts
53Israel62.6-0.3 pts
54Canada62.1+0.3 pts
55Azerbaijan62-0.2 pts
56Ghana61.8-1.4 pts
57Belarus61.6+0.2 pts
58Nicaragua61.4-0.3 pts
59Cyprus61.4+1.6 pts
60Democratic Republic of the Congo61.3-0.2 pts
61Dominican Republic61+1 pts
62Zimbabwe60.9-0.5 pts
63Maldives60.7+2.3 pts
64Guinea-Bissau60.7-0.3 pts
65South Korea60.6+0.3 pts
66Laos60.6+1.4 pts
67Japan60.6+0.6 pts
68United States60.5+0.4 pts
69Brunei60.5-0.1 pts
70United Kingdom60.3+0.3 pts
71Estonia60.3+0.2 pts
72Myanmar60.3-1.6 pts
73Sweden60.2-0.2 pts
74Malawi60.1-0.1 pts
75Mongolia59.7+3.1 pts
76Honduras59.6-3.2 pts
77Barbados59.5-0.8 pts
78Germany59.4+0.6 pts
79Denmark59.3+0.6 pts
80Chad59.30 pts
81Ireland59.2+0.7 pts
82Mexico59+0.5 pts
83Guam58.9-0 pts
84Russia58.9-0.5 pts
85Czechia58.9-0.1 pts
86Trinidad and Tobago58.5-0.5 pts
87Chile58.3-0 pts
88Hong Kong58.2-0.7 pts
89Lithuania58.2+0.4 pts
90Austria58.1+0.2 pts
91Philippines58.1+0.5 pts
92Saint Lucia58.1+1.7 pts
93Uruguay57.9-0.5 pts
94Guatemala57.9-1.3 pts
95Malta57.8+0.9 pts
96Saudi Arabia57.8+1.9 pts
97Colombia57.7-1.4 pts
98El Salvador57.4+1 pts
99Costa Rica57.3+0.7 pts
100Latvia57.2+0.4 pts
101Brazil57.1+0.6 pts
102Togo56.8+0.5 pts
103Bangladesh56.8+0.5 pts
104Luxembourg56.7+0.7 pts
105Haiti56.5-0.2 pts
106Hungary56.5+0.3 pts
107Equatorial Guinea56.4-0.2 pts
108Zambia56.2+0.7 pts
109Slovakia56.1+0.3 pts
110Mauritius56+0.5 pts
111Slovenia55.8-0.1 pts
112Kyrgyzstan55.7-0.1 pts
113Georgia55.7-0.2 pts
114Poland55.6+0.3 pts
115Vanuatu55.4-0.7 pts
116Finland55.2+0.3 pts
117Portugal55.2+0.3 pts
118Fiji54.7-0.1 pts
119Saint Vincent and the Grenadines54.5-0.1 pts
120Argentina54.4+0.3 pts
121Cuba54.3-0.2 pts
122Bulgaria54.3+1.9 pts
123Republic of the Congo54.2+0.2 pts
124Uzbekistan53.8+0.3 pts
125Albania53.4+1.4 pts
126Tonga52.3-0.5 pts
127Sierra Leone52.1-0.1 pts
128Suriname51.90 pts
129Venezuela51.9-3.1 pts
130Rwanda51.9-2 pts
131Ukraine51.7+0.3 pts
132New Caledonia51.4-0.7 pts
133Belgium51+0.5 pts
134Botswana50.70 pts
135Cape Verde50.5+1.7 pts
136France50.30 pts
137Comoros50.3+1.5 pts
138Guinea50.2-0.8 pts
139Romania50+0.3 pts
140Sri Lanka49.8+0.3 pts
141Papua New Guinea49.8+0.3 pts
142Spain49.5+0.7 pts
143Senegal49.3+2.6 pts
144Pakistan49.1+0.2 pts
145French Polynesia49-0.2 pts
146India48.9+0.4 pts
147Serbia48.4+1.4 pts
148Armenia48-1.7 pts
149Lesotho47.9-1.2 pts
150Croatia47.5+0.8 pts
151Namibia47.20 pts
152Montenegro46.3+0.9 pts
153Samoa46.2-1.6 pts
154U.S. Virgin Islands46.1-2.5 pts
155Türkiye45.7-1.7 pts
156Gambia45.6-0.2 pts
157Guyana45.2-3 pts
158Italy44.7+0.3 pts
159North Macedonia43.8+2.2 pts
160Lebanon43.4+0.1 pts
161Greece42.2+1.1 pts
162Morocco41.9+0.3 pts
163Tunisia41.2+0.1 pts
164Bosnia and Herzegovina41.1+1.1 pts
165Turkmenistan41-0.2 pts
166Gabon40.9+0.2 pts
167Libya39.8-0.2 pts
168South Africa39.5-0.8 pts
169Iran39.3+0.3 pts
170Afghanistan38.9-1.6 pts
171Egypt38.9-0.1 pts
172Algeria37-0.1 pts
173Mauritania36.8-0 pts
174Eswatini36.1-1.1 pts
175Sudan35.7-0.6 pts
176Nepal35.6+0.1 pts
177Puerto Rico35.4+0.4 pts
178Iraq34.8-0.9 pts
179Tajikistan34.5-0.8 pts
180Palestine33.1+1 pts
181Syria32.8+0.1 pts
182Jordan32.6+0.6 pts
183Somalia27.6-0.1 pts
184Yemen27.1+0.2 pts
185Djibouti23.6-0.1 pts
186São Tomé and Príncipe21.6-0.1 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. 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 87.3% in 2019, according to the World Bank.

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

São Tomé and Príncipe, with 21.6% in 2019.

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.

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

Countries: more rankings