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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Viet Nam's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 0.32 percentage points on 2023 (from 71.02% to 71.34%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2023), the average change was −0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 1.27 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.62 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 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.56 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 69.29% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.35%, against 0.53% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Viet Nam had the 3rd highest value of the 22 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 Viet Nam in the 2024 ranking

• Qatar — 1st of 22: 87.86%
• Nigeria — 2nd of 22: 78.72%
• Zambia — 4th of 22: 59.66%
• Mali — 5th of 22: 59.18%
• Barbados — 6th of 22: 58.99%

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 26 values

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

• Australia — 64.15% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 60.2% (2025)
• Cambodia — 77% (2025)
• China — 67.35% (2019)
• Fiji — 51.89% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 54.91% (2025)
• Indonesia — 65.04% (2023)
• Japan — 62.23% (2025)
• Korea, Rep.

More social protection & labor data for Viet Nam

• Net migration — -48,171 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 20,636 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 13 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 40.06% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 42.02% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 41.05% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 75.12% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

71.34% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

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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