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Labor force — all countries

Labor force — Ethiopia

Labor force in Ethiopia in 2025 — 56,779,061 people. Ranked 13 in the world out of 182. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 171%.

2025 56.78M people +3.05% vs 2024
World rank 13of 182
Period maximum 56.78M people2025
Period minimum 20.95M people1990

Trend over time

1990–2025 · people

Labor force — Ethiopia, 1990–202520M30M40M50M60M19901994199820022006201020142018202220251990: 20,948,603 people1991: 21,887,173 people1992: 22,824,157 people1993: 23,576,334 people1994: 24,344,201 people1995: 25,115,740 people1996: 25,873,998 people1997: 26,611,701 people1998: 27,345,147 people1999: 28,108,768 people2000: 28,908,590 people2001: 29,763,416 people2002: 30,693,682 people2003: 31,680,622 people2004: 32,712,513 people2005: 33,787,143 people2006: 34,890,453 people2007: 36,075,624 people2008: 37,333,059 people2009: 38,658,811 people2010: 40,076,847 people2011: 41,585,929 people2012: 43,162,700 people2013: 44,769,587 people2014: 45,540,789 people2015: 46,289,893 people2016: 47,024,057 people2017: 47,739,835 people2018: 48,392,305 people2019: 48,989,009 people2020: 49,138,941 people2021: 49,963,936 people2022: 51,764,455 people2023: 53,419,507 people2024: 55,099,611 people2025: 56,779,061 people
Change over the period: +35.83M (+171.04%) Average annual rate: 2.89 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Ethiopia

Ethiopia 56.78M people
World 3.74B people
Sub-Saharan Africa 527M people
Eastern Africa computed 214M people
Low-income countries computed 275M people
Labor force — Ethiopia, by year Ethiopia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 56.78M +1.68M +3.05%
2024 55.1M +1.68M +3.15%
2023 53.42M +1.66M +3.2%
2022 51.76M +1.8M +3.6%
2021 49.96M +824,995 +1.68%
2020 49.14M +149,932 +0.31%
2019 48.99M +596,704 +1.23%
2018 48.39M +652,470 +1.37%
2017 47.74M +715,778 +1.52%
2016 47.02M +734,164 +1.59%
2015 46.29M +749,104 +1.64%
2014 45.54M +771,202 +1.72%
2013 44.77M +1.61M +3.72%
2012 43.16M +1.58M +3.79%
2011 41.59M +1.51M +3.77%
2010 40.08M +1.42M +3.67%
2009 38.66M +1.33M +3.55%
2008 37.33M +1.26M +3.49%
2007 36.08M +1.19M +3.4%
2006 34.89M +1.1M +3.27%
2005 33.79M +1.07M +3.29%
2004 32.71M +1.03M +3.26%
2003 31.68M +986,940 +3.22%
2002 30.69M +930,266 +3.13%
2001 29.76M +854,826 +2.96%
2000 28.91M +799,822 +2.85%
1999 28.11M +763,621 +2.79%
1998 27.35M +733,446 +2.76%
1997 26.61M +737,703 +2.85%
1996 25.87M +758,258 +3.02%
1995 25.12M +771,539 +3.17%
1994 24.34M +767,867 +3.26%
1993 23.58M +752,177 +3.3%
1992 22.82M +936,984 +4.28%
1991 21.89M +938,570 +4.48%
1990 20.95M — —

Eastern Africa, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

ET Ethiopia 56.78M TZ Tanzania 34.05M KE Kenya 24.71M UG Uganda 23.39M MG Madagascar 17.09M MZ Mozambique 15.66M MW Malawi 8.32M ZM Zambia 8.01M ZW Zimbabwe 6.85M BI Burundi 6.31M RW Rwanda 5.84M SO Somalia 3.56M ER Eritrea 1.76M MU Mauritius 622,328 KM Comoros 310,841 DJ Djibouti 267,610
Full table for all countries

About the indicator

The economically active population — everyone aged 15 and over who either works or actively looks for work. It covers the employed, the unemployed and first-time job seekers; it leaves out students, homemakers and other people who do not offer their labor on the market. The size of the labor force is the basic constraint on the growth potential of an economy.

Source: ILOSTAT (ILO), license CC BY 4.0.

Other indicators for Ethiopia

Labor Labor productivity

How much output one employed person creates in a year — in constant PPP dollars.

Ethiopia by year Labor Female share of the labor force

What part of the labor force of a country is made up of women.

Ethiopia by year Labor Labor force participation rate

What share of the population aged 15 and over works or looks for work.

Ethiopia by year Labor Employment-to-population ratio

The share of the population aged 15 and over that actually works.

Ethiopia by year
All indicators for Ethiopia