Canada's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) was 60.06% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 1.25 percentage points from 61.31% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 60.06% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 57.91% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 61.31% | 2015 |
| Highest | 63.04% | 2008 |
| Lowest | 57.55% | 1993 |
| Average since 2016 | 60.89% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 59.4% | 1991 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Canada's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.57 percentage points on 2024 (from 60.63% to 60.06%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.38 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.16 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Canada had the 71st highest value of the 182 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 60.06% | 2025 |
| World | 58.06% | 2025 |
| North America | 59.22% | 2025 |
| High income | 58.33% | 2025 |
Closest to Canada in the 2025 ranking
- Belarus — 68th of 182: 60.63%
- Barbados — 69th of 182: 60.47%
- Uruguay — 70th of 182: 60.11%
- El Salvador — 72nd of 182: 60.06%
- Philippines — 73rd of 182: 59.98%
- Mexico — 74th of 182: 59.96%
What this measures
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.
Limitations: 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.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 35 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 60.06 |
| 2024 | 60.63 |
| 2023 | 61.82 |
| 2022 | 61.8 |
| 2021 | 60.29 |
| 2020 | 57.91 |
| 2019 | 62.07 |
| 2018 | 61.72 |
| 2017 | 61.56 |
| 2016 | 61.02 |
| 2015 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in nearby economies
- United States — 59.11% (2025)
More social protection & labor data for Canada
- Net migration — 326,204 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 416,028 (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 6.82% (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 6.49% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 7.12% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 62.79% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 63.22% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Canada's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate)?
- 60.06% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1991?
- It is up 0.67 percentage points from 59.4% in 1991. The highest value was 63.04% in 2008 and the lowest 57.55% in 1993.
- How does Canada rank?
- 71st highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) unusual for Canada?
- In 2025, Canada's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.57 percentage points on 2024 (from 60.63% to 60.06%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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