Zambia's employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) was 53.8% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 4.13 percentage points from 49.66% in 2019.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 53.8% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 49.66% | 2019 |
| Highest | 64.89% | 2008 |
| Lowest | 26.57% | 1990 |
| Average since 2015 | 49.86% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 53.5% | 1986 |
Over five years it is up 4.13 percentage points from 49.66% in 2019. Since 1986 it is up 0.3 percentage points from 53.5% in 1986. The World Bank has no value for 24 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
What the numbers say
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 15.33 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.14 percentage points in 2018. 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 upward, about 1.23 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 45% of the movement over 9 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2024, Zambia had the 4th highest value of the 20 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia | 53.8% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 39.09% | 2024 |
Closest to Zambia in the 2024 ranking
- Viet Nam — 1st of 20: 67.08%
- Qatar — 2nd of 20: 63.28%
- Barbados — 3rd of 20: 55.99%
- Albania — 5th of 20: 52.06%
- Montenegro — 6th of 20: 49.99%
- Philippines — 7th of 20: 48.11%
What this measures
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.
Limitations: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 15 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 53.8 |
| 2023 | 52.96 |
| 2022 | 50.6 |
| 2021 | 51.07 |
| 2020 | 51.06 |
| 2019 | 49.66 |
| 2018 | 49.64 |
| 2017 | 53.78 |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | 36.18 |
| 2014 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies
More social protection & labor data for Zambia
- Net migration — 6,562 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 83,225 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 346 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 34.44% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 39.38% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 36.89% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 56.75% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zambia's employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate)?
- 53.8% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1986?
- It is up 0.3 percentage points from 53.5% in 1986. The highest value was 64.89% in 2008 and the lowest 26.57% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank?
- 4th highest of 20 economies with data for 2024.
- 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.FE.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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