
Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
The labor market is in a state of continuous adjustment. For instance, whereas agriculture was the sector that employed the highest number of people up until the millennium, a majority of the world's employees now work in the service sector. These trends come as technological developments have changed the way we work, and the fourth industrial revolution is creating new opportunities and challenges for the labor market of the future. Which trends can be observed in the current global labor market, and what will global employment look like in the future?

Detailed statistics
Employment rate worldwide 2000-2026

Detailed statistics
Employment-to-population ratio worldwide 2026, by region

Detailed statistics
Unemployment rate worldwide 1991-2025

Number of employees worldwide 1991-2026
Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2026 (in billions)

Employment rate worldwide 2000-2026
Estimated employment-to-population ratio worldwide from 2000 to 2026

Employment-to-population ratio worldwide 2026, by region
Estimated employment-to-population ratio worldwide in 2026, by region

Employment rate worldwide 2026, by gender
Estimated employment-to-population ratio worldwide in 2026, by gender

Countries with the highest foreign-born labor force 2025
20 countries with the highest foreign-born labor force worldwide in 2025 (in millions)

Unemployment rate worldwide 1991-2025
Unemployment rate worldwide from 1991 to 2025

Highest labor force participation rates worldwide 2024
The 10 leading countries with the highest labor force participation rate in 2024

Countries with the lowest employment rates 2025
Countries with the lowest employment-to-population ratio in 2025

Number of employees worldwide by broad sector 1991-2025
Number of employees worldwide from 1991 to 2025, by broad sector (in millions)

Global employment by region and sector 2025
Number of employees worldwide in 2025, by region and sector (in millions)

Employment rate worldwide 2000-2026, by age groups
Estimated employment-to-population ratio worldwide from 2000 to 2026, by major age groups

Countries with the highest female employment rates worldwide 2025
20 countries with the highest female employment-to-population ratios worldwide in 2025

Countries with the lowest female employment rates worldwide 2025
20 countries with the lowest female employment rates worldwide in 2025

Countries with the highest unemployment rate Worldwide 2025
Countries with the highest unemployment rate Worldwide in 2025

Quarterly unemployment rates in developed and emerging countries 2017-2025
Quarterly unemployment rates in developed and emerging countries from Q1 2017 to Q4 2025

Unemployment rate in selected world regions 2025
Unemployment rate in selected world regions in 2025

Unemployment rate worldwide 2025, by country
Unemployment rate worldwide in 2025, by selected country

Unemployment rate in EU countries January 2026
Unemployment rate in member states of the European Union in January 2026 (seasonally adjusted)

Number of unemployed persons worldwide 1991-2026
Number of unemployed persons worldwide from 1991 to 2026 (in millions)

Youth unemployment rate in selected world regions 2025
Youth unemployment rate in selected world regions in 2000 to 2025

Breakdown of G20 countries with the highest youth unemployment rates 2025
Youth unemployment rate of G20 countries in 2025

Forecasted number of young unemployed people worldwide 2010-2027
Forecasted number of young unemployed people worldwide from 2010 to 2027 (in millions)

Countries with the highest youth unemployment rate worldwide 2024
20 countries with the highest youth unemployment rate worldwide in 2024

Countries with lowest youth unemployment rate worldwide 2025
20 countries with the lowest youth unemployment rate worldwide in 2025

Youth unemployment rate worldwide 1991-2025
Youth unemployment rate worldwide from 1991 to 2025

Global youth unemployment rate 2000-2026, by gender
Youth unemployment rate worldwide from 2000 to 2026, by gender

Average real salary growth globally 2006-2024
Average annual real monthly wage growth worldwide from 2006 to 2024

Worldwide real wage growth by country in Q1 2026
Real wage growth around the world in the 1st quarter of 2026, by country

Countries with the highest average monthly salaries worldwide 2025
20 countries with the highest average monthly salaries of employees worldwide in 2025 (in PPP U.S. dollars)

Countries with the lowest average monthly salaries worldwide 2025
20 countries with the lowest average monthly salaries of employees worldwide in 2025 (in PPP U.S. dollars)

Highest average monthly salaries in Africa 2024, by country
Countries with highest average monthly salaries in Africa in 2024 (in U.S. dollars)

Average annual real wages in Europe 2024, by country
Average annual real wages in Europe in 2024, by selected country (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)

Latin America: minimum monthly wages in 2026, by country
Minimum monthly wage in selected Latin American countries in 2026 (in U.S. dollars)

Share of children in child labor 2024, by region
Share of children in child labor in 2024, by region

Share of children in child labor globally 2024, by sector
Share of children in child labor worldwide in 2024, by industry sector

Share of children in child labor globally 2024, by age and gender
Share of children in child labor worldwide in 2024, by age and gender

Share of children in child labor 2020, by employment type and region
Distribution of children in child labor in 2020, by type of employment and region

Share of children in child labor 2020, by area and region
Distribution of children in child labor in urban and rural areas in 2020, by region

Share of children in child labor 2024, by age and region
Distribution of children in child labor in 2024, by age and region

Number of children involved in forced labor worldwide 2022, by form
Number of children involved in forced labor worldwide in 2022, by form of forced labor (in millions)
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