France's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 52.57% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 2.32 percentage points from 50.26% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 52.57% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 50.17% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 50.26% | 2015 |
| Highest | 52.91% | 1983 |
| Lowest | 48.48% | 1997 |
| Average since 2016 | 51.29% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 51.63% | 1979 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, France's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 0.22 percentage points on 2024 (from 52.35% to 52.57%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.47 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 2.34 percentage points in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.07 percentage points in 1984. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.29 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 84% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, France had the 70th highest value of the 83 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| France | 52.57% | 2025 |
| World | 57.81% | 2019 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 56.16% | 2025 |
| High income | 59.07% | 2025 |
Closest to France in the 2025 ranking
What this measures
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.
Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 47 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 52.57 |
| 2024 | 52.35 |
| 2023 | 52.19 |
| 2022 | 52.12 |
| 2021 | 51.54 |
| 2020 | 50.17 |
| 2019 | 50.62 |
| 2018 | 50.61 |
| 2017 | 50.4 |
| 2016 | 50.31 |
| 2015 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Albania — 58.14% (2024)
- Armenia — 59.88% (2023)
- Austria — 58.13% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 62% (2022)
- Belarus — 68.5% (2025)
- Belgium — 52.49% (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 46.33% (2025)
- Bulgaria — 53.19% (2025)
- Croatia
More social protection & labor data for France
- Net migration — 91,737 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 788,419 (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 7.7% (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 7.61% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 7.79% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 39.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 46.28% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is France's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?
- 52.57% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1979?
- It is up 0.94 percentage points from 51.63% in 1979. The highest value was 52.91% in 1983 and the lowest 48.48% in 1997.
- How does France rank?
- 70th highest of 83 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) unusual for France?
- In 2025, France's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 0.22 percentage points on 2024 (from 52.35% to 52.57%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.47 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 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.
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