Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Ethiopia: the labour market
Labour force is 56.8m (2025), 13th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 68.5% (2025), 33rd of 187 in the world and 16th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 58.5% (2025), 58th of 187 in the world and 22nd of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Ethiopia
Participation rate
EthiopiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Ethiopia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 56.8m2025 | 13/187 | 2/47 | 28.9m | 40.1m | 49.1m | +23%since 2015 | 527m | 267m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 68.5%2025 | 33/187 | 16/47 | 82.1% | 81.5% | 69.4% | −9.5 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 64.4% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 58.5%2025 | 58/187 | 22/47 | 74.6% | 74.4% | 59.3% | −11.7 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 54.7% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 66.2%2025 | 31/187 | 13/47 | 79.2% | 79.7% | 66.6% | −9.9 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 61.2% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 3.3%2025 | 135/187 | 31/47 | 3.5% | 2.3% | 4.0% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 4.5%2025 | 111/187 | 27/47 | 4.6% | 3.0% | 5.3% | +1.3 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 5.4%2025 | 159/187 | 32/47 | 5.1% | 3.4% | 6.4% | +1.5 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 10.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 17.5%2021 | 89/170 | 33/44 | · | · | 17.5%2021 | — | — | — | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 15.7%2025 | 177/187 | 37/47 | 9.5% | 10.6% | 14.1% | +2.9 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 21.1% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 84.1%2025 | 4/187 | 4/47 | 89.6% | 88.8% | 85.7% | −2.7 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 76.1% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 60.1%2025 | 14/187 | 13/47 | 76.6% | 73.8% | 63.6% | −7.8 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 59.4% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 6.4%2025 | 183/187 | 44/47 | 6.6% | 7.9% | 6.6% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 10.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 33.4%2025 | 170/187 | 34/47 | 16.8% | 18.2% | 29.7% | +9.2 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 30.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Wage workers+2.9 pp15.7% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−2.7 pp84.1% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−11.7 pp58.5% in 2025
- Employment rate−9.9 pp66.2% in 2025
- Unemployment+0.9 pp3.3% in 2025
- Female unemployment+1.3 pp4.5% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Ethiopia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Ethiopia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Ethiopia | Kenya | Sudan | Somalia | South Sudan | Eritrea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 56.8m2025 | 24.7m2025 | 10.9m2022 | 3.6m2025 | 5.1m2023 | 1.8m2025 |
| Participation rate | 68.5%2025 | 67.4%2025 | 37.5%2022 | 33.8%2025 | 73.4%2023 | 78.3%2025 |
| Women's participation | 58.5%2025 | 63.0%2025 | 14.5%2022 | 20.7%2025 | 70.4%2023 | 72.8%2025 |
| Employment rate | 66.2%2025 | 63.7%2025 | 34.7%2022 | 27.4%2025 | 64.3%2023 | 73.7%2025 |
| Unemployment | 3.3%2025 | 5.4%2025 | 7.5%2022 | 18.9%2025 | 12.4%2023 | 6.0%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 4.5%2025 | 6.7%2025 | 14.0%2022 | 24.6%2025 | 13.6%2023 | 6.7%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 5.4%2025 | 15.2%2025 | 12.0%2022 | 34.2%2025 | 18.5%2023 | 10.2%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 17.5%2021 | 18.5%2021 | 46.5%2022 | 51.0%2022 | 29.1%2008 | — |
| Wage workers | 15.7%2025 | 35.2%2025 | 53.5%2022 | 47.8%2025 | 17.5%2023 | 47.6%2025 |