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

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.02 percentage points from 81.37% in 2020. Since 2001 it is down 2.51 percentage points from 83.85% in 2001. The World Bank has no value for 14 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

In 2025, Tanzania had the 1st 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 Tanzania in the 2025 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 2nd of 83: 80.79%
• Bolivia — 3rd of 83: 78.05%
• Cambodia — 4th of 83: 77%

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 11 values

Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Angola — 66.62% (2025)
• Botswana — 52.18% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 63.28% (2025)
• Ghana — 68.15% (2025)
• Malawi — 41.94% (2024)
• Mali — 59.18% (2024)
• Mauritius — 54.35% (2024)
• Namibia — 30.34% (2023)
• Nigeria

More social protection & labor data for Tanzania

• Net migration — -12,730 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 171,142 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 1,592 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 69.35% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 72.13% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 70.74% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 81.97% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

81.34% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 2.51 percentage points from 83.85% in 2001. The highest value was 91.17% in 2008 and the lowest 74.95% in 2012.

How does Tanzania rank?

1st 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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