Zambia's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 59.66% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 3.41 percentage points from 56.25% in 2019.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 59.66% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 56.25% | 2019 |
| Highest | 68.73% | 2012 |
| Lowest | 39.62% | 1990 |
| Average since 2015 | 56.05% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 62% | 1986 |
Over five years it is up 3.41 percentage points from 56.25% in 2019. Since 1986 it is down 2.34 percentage points from 62% in 1986. The World Bank has no value for 20 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 9.68 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.3 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 0.99 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 41% 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 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia | 59.66% | 2024 |
| World | 57.81% | 2019 |
| Lower middle income | 56.6% | 2024 |
Closest to Zambia in the 2024 ranking
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 19 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 59.66 |
| 2023 | 58.33 |
| 2022 | 55.96 |
| 2021 | 56.98 |
| 2020 | 57.2 |
| 2019 | 56.25 |
| 2018 | 55.53 |
| 2017 | 59.83 |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | 44.71 |
| 2014 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (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+, total (%) (national estimate)?
- 59.66% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1986?
- It is down 2.34 percentage points from 62% in 1986. The highest value was 68.73% in 2012 and the lowest 39.62% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank?
- 4th highest of 22 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.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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