Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
Zimbabwe: the labour market
Labour force is 6.9m (2025), 71st of 187 in the world and 20th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 67.7% (2025), 41st of 187 in the world and 18th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 62.2% (2025), 36th of 187 in the world and 18th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Zimbabwe
Participation rate
ZimbabweSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Zimbabwe 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 | 6.9m2025 | 71/187 | 20/47 | 4.5m | 5.0m | 5.8m | +28%since 2015 | 527m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 67.7%2025 | 41/187 | 18/47 | 65.6% | 65.9% | 64.7% | +1.6 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 62.2%2025 | 36/187 | 18/47 | 60.9% | 60.6% | 59.4% | +1.8 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 61.4%2025 | 64/187 | 22/47 | 61.9% | 62.3% | 59.1% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 9.3%2025 | 42/187 | 14/47 | 5.7% | 5.5% | 8.6% | +3.9 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 9.4%2025 | 54/187 | 15/47 | 4.6% | 6.0% | 8.5% | +3.7 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 15.5%2025 | 76/187 | 16/47 | 11.9% | 9.1% | 14.2% | +7.5 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 28.8%2025 | 37/170 | 18/44 | · | 17.3%2011 | 30.4%2021 | +12.3 ppsince 2014 | — | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 29.2%2025 | 156/187 | 23/47 | 31.9% | 29.0% | 28.6% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 68.2%2025 | 31/187 | 23/47 | 65.5% | 68.4% | 68.5% | −0.4 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 54.3%2025 | 19/187 | 18/47 | 49.7% | 62.2% | 58.6% | −9.4 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 11.5%2025 | 159/187 | 29/47 | 13.6% | 13.1% | 12.3% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 34.2%2025 | 168/187 | 32/47 | 36.7% | 24.7% | 29.1% | +8.5 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 37.8% | 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
- Women's participation+1.8 pp62.2% in 2025
- Wage workers+0.7 pp29.2% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−0.4 pp68.2% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Employment rate−1.1 pp61.4% in 2025
- Unemployment+3.9 pp9.3% in 2025
- Female unemployment+3.7 pp9.4% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+7.5 pp15.5% 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
Zimbabwe and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Zimbabwe. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Zimbabwe | South Africa | Mozambique | Zambia | Botswana |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 6.9m2025 | 26.7m2025 | 15.7m2025 | 8.0m2025 | 1.2m2025 |
| Participation rate | 67.7%2025 | 55.6%2025 | 78.7%2025 | 61.9%2025 | 68.8%2025 |
| Women's participation | 62.2%2025 | 49.9%2025 | 77.1%2025 | 56.4%2025 | 63.7%2025 |
| Employment rate | 61.4%2025 | 37.6%2025 | 73.5%2025 | 58.3%2025 | 52.0%2025 |
| Unemployment | 9.3%2025 | 32.4%2025 | 6.6%2025 | 5.9%2025 | 24.5%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 9.4%2025 | 34.0%2025 | 7.2%2025 | 6.2%2025 | 27.9%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 15.5%2025 | 59.9%2025 | 11.6%2025 | 10.5%2025 | 46.0%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 28.8%2025 | 34.6%2024 | 19.2%2022 | 26.7%2024 | 38.0%2024 |
| Wage workers | 29.2%2025 | 82.7%2025 | 14.7%2025 | 28.3%2025 | 71.9%2025 |