Of the economies in the World Bank's latest release, Lesotho has the highest employment in industry, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (35.71% in 2025) and Burundi the lowest (0.55% in 2025). The world figure is 15.67% (2025).
What this measures
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).
Limitations: There are many differences in how countries define and measure employment status, particularly members of the armed forces, self-employed workers, and unpaid family workers. Where members of the armed forces are included, they are allocated to the service sector, causing that sector to be somewhat overstated relative to the service sector in economies where they are excluded. Where data are obtained from establishment surveys, data cover only employees; thus self-employed and unpaid family workers are excluded. In such cases the employment share of the agricultural sector is severely underreported.
Each country's latest available year is shown; countries report on different schedules, so compare years before comparing values.
Ranking
| # | Economy | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesotho | 35.71% | 2025 |
| 2 | Tunisia | 31.77% | 2025 |
| 3 | Viet Nam | 30.93% | 2025 |
| 4 | Tonga | 26.91% | 2025 |
| 5 | Cambodia | 25.77% | 2025 |
| 6 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 25.25% | 2025 |
| 7 | China | 24.8% | 2025 |
| 8 | Algeria | 24.57% | 2025 |
| 9 | North Macedonia | 24.44% | 2025 |
| 10 | Sri Lanka | 24.14% | 2025 |
| 11 | Eswatini | 23.08% | 2025 |
| 12 | Romania | 22.06% | 2025 |
| 13 | Afghanistan | 21.64% | 2025 |
| 14 | São Tomé and Principe | 21.17% | 2025 |
| 15 | Maldives | 21.12% | 2025 |
| 16 | Czechia | 20.93% | 2025 |
| 17 | Togo | 20.89% | 2025 |
| 18 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 20.45% | 2025 |
| 19 | Turkmenistan | 19.83% | 2025 |
| 20 | Slovak Republic | 19.79% | 2025 |
| 21 | Bulgaria | 19.58% | 2025 |
| 22 | Belarus | 19.56% | 2025 |
| 23 | Benin | 19.24% | 2025 |
| 24 | Serbia | 18.96% | 2025 |
| 25 | Thailand | 18.89% | 2025 |
| 26 | Guatemala | 18.74% | 2025 |
| 27 | Slovenia | 18.67% | 2025 |
| 28 | Hungary | 18.52% | 2025 |
| 29 | Myanmar | 17.75% | 2025 |
| 30 | Malaysia | 17.68% | 2025 |
| 31 | Nepal | 17.59% | 2025 |
| 32 | Türkiye | 17.47% | 2025 |
| 33 | Congo, Rep. | 17.33% | 2025 |
| 34 | Mexico | 17.03% | 2025 |
| 35 | Senegal | 16.81% | 2025 |
| 36 | Poland | 16.71% | 2025 |
| 37 | Nigeria | 16.52% | 2025 |
| 38 | Albania | 16.31% | 2025 |
| 39 | Honduras | 16.25% | 2025 |
| 40 | India | 16.14% | 2025 |
| 41 | Indonesia | 16.08% | 2025 |
| 42 | El Salvador | 15.73% | 2025 |
| 43 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 15.67% | 2025 |
| 44 | Morocco | 15.57% | 2025 |
| 45 | Ghana | 15.49% | 2025 |
| 46 | Uzbekistan | 15.38% | 2025 |
| 47 | Portugal | 15.23% | 2025 |
| 48 | Guyana | 15.03% | 2025 |
| 49 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 14.81% | 2025 |
| 50 | Oman | 14.75% | 2025 |
| 51 | Lithuania | 14.72% | 2025 |
| 52 | Croatia | 14.59% | 2025 |
| 53 | Burkina Faso | 14.42% | 2025 |
| 54 | Russian Federation | 14.38% | 2025 |
| 55 | Kyrgyz Republic | 14.31% | 2025 |
| 56 | Ukraine | 14.25% | 2021 |
| 57 | Trinidad and Tobago | 14.22% | 2025 |
| 58 | Mongolia | 13.84% | 2025 |
| 59 | Estonia | 13.69% | 2025 |
| 60 | Italy | 13.58% | 2025 |
| 61 | Japan | 13.43% | 2025 |
| 62 | Colombia | 13.23% | 2025 |
| 63 | Pakistan | 13.16% | 2025 |
| 64 | Germany | 12.85% | 2025 |
| 65 | Côte d'Ivoire | 12.62% | 2025 |
| 66 | Nicaragua | 12.22% | 2025 |
| 67 | Bolivia | 12.19% | 2025 |
| 68 | Central African Republic | 12.12% | 2025 |
| 69 | Cameroon | 12.04% | 2025 |
| 70 | Korea, Rep. | 11.94% | 2025 |
| 71 | Austria | 11.91% | 2025 |
| 72 | Latvia | 11.67% | 2025 |
| 73 | Iraq | 11.62% | 2025 |
| 74 | South Africa | 11.59% | 2025 |
| 75 | Costa Rica | 11.56% | 2025 |
| 76 | Yemen, Rep. | 11.56% | 2025 |
| 77 | Niger | 11.46% | 2025 |
| 78 | Mauritius | 11.27% | 2025 |
| 79 | Cabo Verde | 11.26% | 2025 |
| 80 | Kazakhstan | 11.07% | 2025 |
| 81 | Brunei Darussalam | 11.05% | 2025 |
| 82 | West Bank and Gaza | 10.88% | 2022 |
| 83 | Cuba | 10.87% | 2025 |
| 84 | Bhutan | 10.75% | 2025 |
| 85 | Venezuela, RB | 10.74% | 2025 |
| 86 | Samoa | 10.61% | 2025 |
| 87 | Suriname | 10.54% | 2025 |
| 88 | Brazil | 10.49% | 2025 |
| 89 | Guinea | 10.49% | 2025 |
| 90 | Panama | 10.48% | 2025 |
| 91 | Comoros | 10.42% | 2025 |
| 92 | Rwanda | 10.33% | 2025 |
| 93 | Chile | 10.31% | 2025 |
| 94 | Saudi Arabia | 10.09% | 2025 |
| 95 | Mauritania | 10.05% | 2025 |
| 96 | Armenia | 9.94% | 2025 |
| 97 | Singapore | 9.89% | 2025 |
| 98 | New Zealand | 9.81% | 2025 |
| 99 | Switzerland | 9.75% | 2025 |
| 100 | Argentina | 9.65% | 2025 |
| 101 | France | 9.64% | 2025 |
| 102 | Madagascar | 9.27% | 2025 |
| 103 | Philippines | 9.27% | 2025 |
| 104 | Ireland | 9.24% | 2025 |
| 105 | Peru | 9.24% | 2025 |
| 106 | Denmark | 9.17% | 2025 |
| 107 | Spain | 9.11% | 2025 |
| 108 | Ecuador | 9.08% | 2025 |
| 109 | Bangladesh | 8.99% | 2025 |
| 110 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 8.82% | 2025 |
| 111 | Finland | 8.82% | 2025 |
| 112 | Botswana | 8.75% | 2025 |
| 113 | United Arab Emirates | 8.69% | 2025 |
| 114 | Gabon | 8.66% | 2025 |
| 115 | Uruguay | 8.6% | 2025 |
| 116 | Canada | 8.6% | 2025 |
| 117 | Paraguay | 8.55% | 2025 |
| 118 | Bahrain | 8.49% | 2025 |
| 119 | Guam | 8.26% | 2025 |
| 120 | United States | 8.25% | 2025 |
| 121 | Montenegro | 8.23% | 2025 |
| 122 | Greece | 8.22% | 2025 |
| 123 | Australia | 8.15% | 2025 |
| 124 | Georgia | 8.07% | 2025 |
| 125 | Belgium | 8.04% | 2025 |
| 126 | Malta | 7.98% | 2025 |
| 127 | Dominican Republic | 7.95% | 2025 |
| 128 | New Caledonia | 7.92% | 2025 |
| 129 | Puerto Rico (US) | 7.77% | 2025 |
| 130 | Namibia | 7.76% | 2025 |
| 131 | Belize | 7.71% | 2025 |
| 132 | Fiji | 7.6% | 2025 |
| 133 | Moldova | 7.58% | 2025 |
| 134 | Mali | 7.52% | 2025 |
| 135 | Iceland | 7.36% | 2025 |
| 136 | Eritrea | 7.26% | 2025 |
| 137 | Virgin Islands (US) | 7.24% | 2025 |
| 138 | United Kingdom | 7.22% | 2025 |
| 139 | Azerbaijan | 7.14% | 2025 |
| 140 | Norway | 7.1% | 2025 |
| 141 | Sweden | 6.97% | 2025 |
| 142 | Barbados | 6.93% | 2025 |
| 143 | Tajikistan | 6.91% | 2025 |
| 144 | Syrian Arab Republic | 6.89% | 2025 |
| 145 | Israel | 6.83% | 2025 |
| 146 | Kuwait | 6.72% | 2025 |
| 147 | Guinea-Bissau | 6.68% | 2025 |
| 148 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 6.62% | 2025 |
| 149 | Jordan | 6.3% | 2025 |
| 150 | Chad | 6.28% | 2025 |
| 151 | Lebanon | 6.09% | 2023 |
| 152 | Sierra Leone | 6.07% | 2025 |
| 153 | St. Lucia | 5.8% | 2025 |
| 154 | Lao PDR | 5.74% | 2025 |
| 155 | Cyprus | 5.71% | 2025 |
| 156 | Jamaica | 5.67% | 2025 |
| 157 | Netherlands | 5.51% | 2025 |
| 158 | Gambia, The | 4.99% | 2025 |
| 159 | Ethiopia | 4.83% | 2025 |
| 160 | Haiti | 4.78% | 2025 |
| 161 | French Polynesia | 4.7% | 2025 |
| 162 | Libya | 4.6% | 2025 |
| 163 | Malawi | 4.6% | 2025 |
| 164 | Equatorial Guinea | 4.51% | 2025 |
| 165 | Kenya | 4.51% | 2025 |
| 166 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 4.33% | 2025 |
| 167 | Vanuatu | 4.28% | 2025 |
| 168 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 4.26% | 2025 |
| 169 | Tanzania | 4.17% | 2025 |
| 170 | Bahamas, The | 4.17% | 2025 |
| 171 | Qatar | 3.84% | 2025 |
| 172 | Liberia | 3.79% | 2025 |
| 173 | Channel Islands | 3.73% | 2025 |
| 174 | Macao SAR, China | 3.62% | 2025 |
| 175 | Zambia | 3.62% | 2025 |
| 176 | Uganda | 3.53% | 2025 |
| 177 | Zimbabwe | 3.48% | 2025 |
| 178 | Solomon Islands | 3.08% | 2025 |
| 179 | Sudan | 2.82% | 2022 |
| 180 | Papua New Guinea | 2.39% | 2025 |
| 181 | Luxembourg | 2.21% | 2025 |
| 182 | Angola | 1.7% | 2025 |
| 183 | Timor-Leste | 1.42% | 2025 |
| 184 | South Sudan | 1.31% | 2023 |
| 185 | Mozambique | 1.19% | 2025 |
| 186 | Djibouti | 0.85% | 2025 |
| 187 | Burundi | 0.55% | 2025 |
Regions and income groups
More social protection & labor indicators
- Employment in agriculture, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, SL.IND.EMPL.FE.ZS, CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026 View on data.worldbank.org; the full definition is in the World Bank's metadata glossary.
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