Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 43.25% in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.44 percentage points from 43.69% in 2011.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 43.25% | 2021 |
| Five years earlier | 42.51% | 2016 |
| Ten years earlier | 43.69% | 2011 |
| Highest | 44.89% | 2008 |
| Lowest | 39.77% | 2000 |
| Average since 2012 | 42.86% | 2012–2021 |
| First recorded | 41.74% | 1991 |
What the numbers say
In 2021, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 3.07 percentage points on 2020 (from 40.18% to 43.25%).
Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2020), the average change was −0.4 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.07 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.55 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 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 11% of the movement over 8 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
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) | 43.25% | 2021 |
| World | 57.81% | 2019 |
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 17 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.25 |
| 2020 | 40.18 |
| 2019 | 43.73 |
| 2018 | no data |
| 2017 | no data |
| 2016 | 42.51 |
| 2015 | 43.68 |
| 2014 | 42.7 |
| 2013 | 44.22 |
| 2012 | 42.61 |
| 2011 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Algeria — 36.9% (2017)
- Bahrain — 70.93% (2015)
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 45.1% (2024)
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 37.6% (2024)
- Israel — 60.58% (2025)
- Jordan — 33.96% (2024)
- Kuwait — 72.24% (2016)
- Malta — 65.43% (2025)
- Morocco
More social protection & labor data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- Net migration — -1.26 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 4.29 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 8.2 million (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 13.43% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 50.06% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?
- 43.25% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1991?
- It is up 1.51 percentage points from 41.74% in 1991. The highest value was 44.89% in 2008 and the lowest 39.77% in 2000.
- Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) unusual for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- In 2021, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 3.07 percentage points on 2020 (from 40.18% to 43.25%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2020), the average change was −0.4 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
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.
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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