Afghanistan Industry Employment
Employment in industry SL.IND.EMPL.ZS
Afghanistan's industry employment was 18.90% in 2025, ranked 90th globally. This represents a 0.8% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1991–2025.
Overview
Afghanistan's industry employment stood at 18.90% in 2025, a decline of +0.14% from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 18.73% by 2026. Afghanistan ranked 90th globally.
Afghanistan's industry employment has experienced significant fluctuations over the past three and a half decades, with the latest figure standing at 18.90, ranking 90th globally. The country's industry employment has shown a moderate increase since its all-time trough in 1991, when it stood at 12.58. However, it is still below the all-time peak of 23.86 achieved in 2014. Compared to its peer countries, Afghanistan's industry employment is closely aligned with that of Gabon, which has a similar ranking. In contrast, the United States and Denmark have significantly higher industry employment rates, while Paraguay has a slightly higher rate. Despite this, Afghanistan's industry employment has been gradually increasing since 1991, suggesting a trend towards recovery. Further improvements in the country's security and infrastructure are likely to contribute to a sustained increase in industry employment.
Data & projection
| Year | Industry Employment | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028* trend | 18.45% | - | - |
| 2027* trend | 18.59% | - | - |
| 2026* trend | 18.73% | - | - |
| 2025 | 18.90% | −0.14% | #90 |
| 2024 | 19.04% | −0.17% | #91 |
| 2023 | 19.21% | +0.17% | #91 |
| 2022 | 19.04% | −0.58% | #91 |
| 2021 | 19.62% | +1.14% | #101 |
| 2020 | 18.48% | −0.13% | #85 |
| 2019 | 18.61% | −0.77% | #86 |
| 2018 | 19.38% | −0.82% | #92 |
| 2017 | 20.19% | −1.15% | #107 |
| 2016 | 21.35% | −1.27% | #113 |
| 2015 | 22.62% | −1.24% | #120 |
| 2014 | 23.86% | +2.51% | #132 |
| 2013 | 21.35% | +2.42% | #115 |
| 2012 | 18.92% | +1.36% | #85 |
| 2011 | 17.56% | +0.58% | #74 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Afghanistan matched the Stagflation Risk pattern in 2022. Historically, 38% of countries showing this pattern (117 out of 307) saw industry employment improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Afghanistan's industry employment was 18.90% in 2025. Ranked 90th globally. This represents a 0.8% decrease from the previous year.
Afghanistan's industry employment peaked at 23.86% in 2014.
The lowest industry employment in Afghanistan was 12.58% in 1991.
Afghanistan ranks 90th globally in industry employment as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.IND.EMPL.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Afghanistan's industry employment is projected to reach 18.73% by 2026 based on trend extrapolation.
The industry employment of Afghanistan in 2025 was 18.90%. This ranks 90th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_afghanistan_industry-employment,
title = {Afghanistan Industry Employment},
url = {https://historysaid.com/afghanistan/industry-employment/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}