Pakistan: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.09 percentage points in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.8 percentage points in 1989. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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, Pakistan had the 74th 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.

Closest to Pakistan in the 2025 ranking

• Belgium — 71st of 83: 52.49%
• Costa Rica — 72nd of 83: 52.39%
• Spain — 73rd of 83: 52.08%
• Croatia — 75th of 83: 51.44%
• Türkiye — 76th of 83: 49.05%
• Romania — 77th of 83: 48.26%

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 42 values

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 Pakistan

• Net migration — -1.24 million (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 6.96% (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1.16 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 28.21% (2025)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 34.63% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 81.46% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 55.34% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Pakistan's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?

51.49% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 19.87 percentage points from 31.62% in 1972. The highest value was 54.38% in 1978 and the lowest 31.62% in 1972.

How does Pakistan rank?

74th highest of 83 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

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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