ILO · Employment in Services
Employment in services by country
What share of working people work in services?
Of the 182 countries compared in 2025, Djibouti had the highest reading, 92.166%, and Burundi had the lowest reading, 11.556%. In the middle country the figure was 59.506%. Among the 182 countries measured in every edition since 1991, the middle one moved from 45.771% to 59.506%.
Part ofWork & Labour
Employment in services · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 182Djibouti
92.166%012025 · position · derived
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 182 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Highest on each continent
- AfricaDjibouti92.166%
- Americas
Bahamas84.435% - AsiaMacau88.633%
- EuropeLuxembourg91.478%
- Oceania
French Polynesia83.748% - Every region
02Every measured country
Employment in services on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 11.556–43.531%
- 44.037–53.118%
- 53.644–66.199%
- 66.921–74.644%
- 74.668–92.166%
- No reading in 2025 (5 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
72.586%
the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members
Luxembourg91.478%
Moldova36.944%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
68.929%
the middle country, of 33 measured · 48 members
Bahamas84.435%
Haiti44.585%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
57.182%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 21 members
French Polynesia83.748%
Vanuatu45.427%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
53.173%
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Macau88.633%
North Korea23.515%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
44.037%
the middle country, of 51 measured · 55 members
Djibouti92.166%
Burundi11.556%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
78.327%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Luxembourg91.478%
Austria72.586%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
78.149%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 13 members
Channel Islands85.293%
Lithuania69.435%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Caribbean
74.020%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 24 members
Bahamas84.435%Haiti44.585%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Asia
71.513%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Macau88.633%North Korea23.515%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Southern Europe
69.769%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Malta81.386%
Albania47.244%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- South America
66.382%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Venezuela74.373%
Ecuador50.928%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
63.545%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica70.032%
Guatemala48.235%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Europe
63.309%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 10 members
Russia69.059%Moldova36.944%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Asia
62.310%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Israel84.094%
Georgia49.477%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Southern Africa
61.115%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa73.833%
Lesotho36.086%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Northern Africa
54.262%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members
Libya71.375%
Morocco48.275%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Melanesia
51.711%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
New Caledonia77.570%Vanuatu45.427%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Central Asia
50.191%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan68.795%
Tajikistan39.072%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
50.170%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore85.907%
Laos23.988%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
44.142%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde67.689%
Niger17.737%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Asia
41.751%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Maldives71.766%
Afghanistan29.472%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Middle Africa
40.851%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe65.424%
Chad19.762%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Eastern Africa
33.785%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Djibouti92.166%Burundi11.556%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia78.531%
New Zealand74.644%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Micronesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Guam.
Guam79.183%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada80.147%
United States79.563%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: French Polynesia, Samoa, Tonga.
French Polynesia83.748%
Tonga53.048%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
182 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 59.506%; a quarter are above 72.884%, and a quarter below 47.189%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 187 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. International Labour Organization (ILO) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. This is the broadest of the three sector shares and the least informative on its own: it counts investment banking and subsistence street trading as the same thing. A high figure at the top of this table and a high figure in the middle of the development scale describe different economies entirely.
Showing 25 of 187 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051991–2025 · 35 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 1991. The services share has risen almost everywhere over this period, in rich and poor countries alike, though for very different reasons.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 182 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 182 | 59.506% | 47.189% – 72.884% | 59.506% |
| 2024 | 182 | 59.265% | 46.818% – 72.558% | 59.265% |
| 2023 | 184 | 58.963% | 46.155% – 72.437% | 58.963% |
| 2022 | 186 | 59.088% | 45.261% – 71.899% | 59.088% |
| 2021 | 187 | 58.220% | 45.670% – 71.753% | 58.140% |
| 2020 | 187 | 58.526% | 45.038% – 71.438% | 58.401% |
| 2019 | 187 | 58.823% | 45.480% – 71.658% | 58.800% |
| 2018 | 187 | 58.755% | 44.214% – 71.081% | 58.660% |
| 2017 | 187 | 58.744% | 43.542% – 71.124% | 58.638% |
| 2016 | 187 | 58.331% | 42.905% – 70.801% | 58.283% |
| 2015 | 187 | 57.929% | 42.337% – 70.203% | 57.912% |
| 2014 | 187 | 57.673% | 41.869% – 69.966% | 57.540% |
| 2013 | 187 | 56.893% | 41.345% – 70.295% | 56.852% |
| 2012 | 187 | 56.736% | 40.569% – 69.366% | 56.708% |
| 2011 | 187 | 56.018% | 40.203% – 69.055% | 55.926% |
| 2010 | 187 | 55.184% | 40.671% – 68.634% | 55.116% |
| 2009 | 187 | 54.359% | 40.029% – 68.717% | 54.347% |
| 2008 | 187 | 53.616% | 39.013% – 67.588% | 53.559% |
| 2007 | 187 | 53.860% | 38.911% – 67.013% | 53.653% |
| 2006 | 187 | 53.739% | 38.659% – 66.526% | 53.636% |
| 2005 | 187 | 52.747% | 38.095% – 66.771% | 52.698% |
| 2004 | 187 | 52.957% | 37.819% – 65.974% | 52.696% |
| 2003 | 187 | 52.883% | 37.598% – 65.978% | 52.783% |
| 2002 | 187 | 53.089% | 37.477% – 65.245% | 52.655% |
| 2001 | 187 | 52.604% | 36.828% – 64.862% | 52.182% |
| 2000 | 187 | 51.504% | 36.516% – 64.176% | 51.492% |
| 1999 | 187 | 51.764% | 37.227% – 63.979% | 51.747% |
| 1998 | 187 | 51.165% | 35.968% – 63.358% | 50.936% |
| 1997 | 187 | 50.485% | 35.493% – 62.964% | 50.243% |
| 1996 | 187 | 49.768% | 34.806% – 63.006% | 49.563% |
| 1995 | 187 | 48.489% | 34.767% – 61.987% | 48.449% |
| 1994 | 187 | 47.992% | 34.498% – 61.701% | 47.947% |
| 1993 | 187 | 46.938% | 34.709% – 61.635% | 46.866% |
| 1992 | 187 | 46.243% | 34.873% – 60.888% | 46.179% |
| 1991 | 187 | 45.891% | 35.005% – 60.004% | 45.771% |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → afterFell most
before → after
Guyana56.988% → 56.692% · 98th → 100th−0.296
Eswatini59.010% → 58.720% · 93rd → 93rd−0.290- Djibouti92.277% → 92.166% · 1st → 1st−0.111
- Afghanistan29.502% → 29.472% · 169th → 169th−0.030
- Libya71.395% → 71.375% · 53rd → 55th−0.020
182 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Employment in services in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
93.691%
Employment in services (% of total employment)
Lowest reading on record
5.382%
Employment in services (% of total employment)
Biggest rise between editions
+12.452
43.783% → 56.235%
Biggest fall between editions
−11.257
33.889% → 22.632%
Biggest change since first measured
+30.935
15.606% → 46.541%
Highest most often
35 of 35
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About employment in services
Employment in services is the share of a country’s working people employed in everything that is neither farming nor industry — trade, transport, finance, health, education and public administration. It is the largest of the three sectors almost everywhere.
What the number is: Employment in services (% of total employment).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Work & Labour, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where employment in services is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Labour Productivity per Hour WorkedILO · 181 countries in commonρ 0.84
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 98 countries in commonρ 0.82
- GDP per Person EmployedWorld Bank Group · 168 countries in commonρ 0.82
Moves against
Where employment in services is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Employment in AgricultureILO · 182 countries in commonρ −0.94
- Vulnerable EmploymentKeyILO · 182 countries in commonρ −0.83
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 148 countries in commonρ −0.83
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 188 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
11Questions
Employment in services: questions and answers
Which country has the highest employment in services?
Djibouti, at 92.166%, among the 182 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest employment in services?
Burundi, at 11.556%, among the 182 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Employment in Services cover?
182 in 2025, and 187 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 182 to 187 between editions.
What is the world average employment in services?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 182 compared in 2025, the figure was 59.506%.
Is this International Labour Organization (ILO)’s own ranking?
No. International Labour Organization (ILO) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Employment in Services published?
This site holds 35 reference years, 1991–2025, all recalculated in International Labour Organization (ILO)’s 2026 report on one method — not 35 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From International Labour Organization (ILO), under CC BY 4.0. An ILO modelled estimate, pulled through the World Bank’s indicator API (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Modelled rather than measured so that one definition applies to every country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Employment in Services — International Labour Organization (ILO)
An ILO modelled estimate, pulled through the World Bank’s indicator API (SL.SRV.EMPL.ZS). Modelled rather than measured so that one definition applies to every country.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: International Labour Organization. ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST). Geneva: ILOSTAT.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-10.
How this page reads the numbers
- International Labour Organization (ILO) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Employment in services by country: Employment in Services, data from International Labour Organization (ILO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/services-employment