Greece Industry Employment
Employment in industry SL.IND.EMPL.ZS
Greece's industry employment was 16.32% in 2025, ranked 56th globally. This represents a 0.2% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1991–2025.
Overview
Greece's industry employment stood at 16.32% in 2025, a decline of +0.04% from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 16.75% by 2026. Greece ranked 56th globally.
Greece’s share of its labour force employed in industry fell from an all‑time peak of 25.99 percent in 1991 to a trough of 15.02 percent in 2020, before rising modestly to 16.32 percent in 2025, ranking it 56th globally. The decline mirrors the structural shift toward services that accelerated during the 2000s and deepened after the sovereign‑debt crisis, when manufacturing output contracted and firms shed workers to preserve cash flow. The modest post‑2020 rebound reflects limited reopening of factories and targeted fiscal incentives, yet the figure remains below that of Cyprus (16.27 percent) and Namibia (16.55 percent), its closest peers in the 2025 ranking. Over the 35‑year coverage period, the industry’s employment share has contracted by roughly 9.7 percentage points, indicating a persistent reallocation of labour away from production. Continued investment in high‑value manufacturing and green‑technology clusters could reverse the downward trajectory, while further service‑sector expansion is likely to keep the industrial share modest.
Data & projection
| Year | Industry Employment | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028* trend | 17.33% | - | - |
| 2027* trend | 17.04% | - | - |
| 2026* trend | 16.75% | - | - |
| 2025 | 16.32% | −0.04% | #56 |
| 2024 | 16.35% | +0.40% | #57 |
| 2023 | 15.95% | +0.39% | #55 |
| 2022 | 15.56% | +0.28% | #52 |
| 2021 | 15.28% | +0.26% | #50 |
| 2020 | 15.02% | −0.30% | #48 |
| 2019 | 15.32% | −0.08% | #49 |
| 2018 | 15.40% | −0.11% | #49 |
| 2017 | 15.52% | +0.16% | #51 |
| 2016 | 15.36% | +0.31% | #52 |
| 2015 | 15.05% | −0.04% | #53 |
| 2014 | 15.09% | −0.58% | #53 |
| 2013 | 15.67% | −1.01% | #55 |
| 2012 | 16.69% | −1.16% | #59 |
| 2011 | 17.84% | −1.91% | #78 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Greece matched the Stagflation Risk pattern in 1996. Historically, 38% of countries showing this pattern (117 out of 307) saw industry employment improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Greece's industry employment was 16.32% in 2025. Ranked 56th globally. This represents a 0.2% decrease from the previous year.
Greece's industry employment peaked at 25.99% in 1991.
The lowest industry employment in Greece was 15.02% in 2020.
Greece ranks 56th globally in industry employment as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.IND.EMPL.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Greece's industry employment is projected to reach 16.75% by 2026 based on trend extrapolation.
The industry employment of Greece in 2025 was 16.32%. This ranks 56th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_greece_industry-employment,
title = {Greece Industry Employment},
url = {https://historysaid.com/greece/industry-employment/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}