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

Key figures

Since 1989 it is down 1.78 percentage points from 40.31% in 1989. The World Bank has no value for 15 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Tunisia's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) fell 0.27 percentage points on 2022 (from 38.81% to 38.54%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2022), the average change was −1.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.07 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 4.03 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.91 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% 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.

Closest to Tunisia in the 2023 ranking

• Grenada — 4th of 8: 58.42%
• Kyrgyz Republic — 5th of 8: 54.93%
• New Caledonia — 6th of 8: 53.27%
• Namibia — 8th of 8: 30.34%

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 20 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 Tunisia

• Net migration — -14,523 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 2,386 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 3,711 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 14.64% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 31.45% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 23.3% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.49% (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 Tunisia's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?

38.54% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is down 1.78 percentage points from 40.31% in 1989. The highest value was 59.72% in 2021 and the lowest 35.9% in 2014.

Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) unusual for Tunisia?

In 2023, Tunisia's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) fell 0.27 percentage points on 2022 (from 38.81% to 38.54%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2022), the average change was −1.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.07 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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