Countries With the Lowest Labor Share of Income
Every country with a figure for labor share of income, ranked from lowest to highest. The top three are Venezuela, RB (8.44%), Central African Republic (16.4%) and Qatar (17.7%). The middle country of the 140 has 52%.
What this measures
Labor share of GDP (Penn World Table), in % of GDP. Source: Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen. For this measure, no agreed better direction.
The share of a country's income (GDP) that is paid to people for their work: wages, salaries and benefits, plus an estimate of what the self-employed, such as farmers and shopkeepers, earn for their work. The rest goes to the owners of land, buildings and machines as profit, rent and interest. Where there is little data on the self-employed, the Penn World Table fills in a value by a fixed rule, so figures for poorer countries are rougher, and a few countries show the same value every year. No "better" direction is set.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2023–2023. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Labor share of income | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venezuela, RB | 8.44% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 2 | Central African Republic | 16.4% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Qatar | 17.7% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 4 | Angola | 22.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 5 | Kuwait | 24.9% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 6 | Gabon | 27.5% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 7 | Botswana | 27.8% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 28% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 9 | Bahrain | 29.4% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 10 | Iraq | 29.6% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 11 | Zambia | 30% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 12 | Oman | 30.3% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 13 | Ireland | 30.9% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 14 | Nigeria | 31.2% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 15 | Macao SAR, China | 32.2% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 16 | Panama | 32.8% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 17 | Cote d'Ivoire | 33.2% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 18 | Trinidad and Tobago | 33.8% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 19 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 36.2% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 20 | Kazakhstan | 37.3% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 21 | Uzbekistan | 37.9% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 22 | British Virgin Islands | 38.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 23 | Sri Lanka | 38.1% | 2023 | South Asia |
| 24 | Mexico | 38.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 25 | Norway | 38.4% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 26 | Niger | 39.1% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 27 | Azerbaijan | 39.2% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 28 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 39.3% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 29 | Malaysia | 39.7% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 30 | Bahamas, The | 39.7% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 31 | Lao PDR | 39.8% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 32 | Kyrgyz Republic | 40% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 33 | Peru | 40.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 34 | Mauritania | 40.4% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 35 | Mongolia | 40.6% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 36 | Guinea | 42.2% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 37 | Turkiye | 42.6% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 38 | Burkina Faso | 42.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 39 | Dominican Republic | 42.7% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 40 | Tajikistan | 43.6% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 41 | Thailand | 43.8% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 42 | Singapore | 43.9% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 43 | Chile | 44% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 44 | Lebanon | 44.5% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 45 | Paraguay | 44.5% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 46 | Philippines | 44.9% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 47 | Mauritius | 45.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 48 | Suriname | 45.8% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 49 | Malta | 45.9% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 50 | Morocco | 46.5% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 51 | Georgia | 46.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 52 | Guatemala | 46.9% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 53 | Colombia | 47.8% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 54 | Chad | 48.5% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 55 | Fiji | 48.9% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 56 | Cayman Islands | 49.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 57 | Jordan | 49.3% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 58 | Luxembourg | 49.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 59 | Bolivia | 49.8% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 60 | Israel | 49.9% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 61 | Romania | 50% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 62 | Togo | 50.1% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 63 | Armenia | 50.9% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 64 | Indonesia | 50.9% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 65 | Brazil | 51.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 66 | Czechia | 51.2% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 67 | Italy | 51.2% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 68 | Moldova | 51.3% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 69 | Bulgaria | 51.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 70 | Uruguay | 51.9% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 71 | Nicaragua | 52% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 72 | El Salvador | 52.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 73 | Senegal | 52.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 74 | North Macedonia | 52.5% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 75 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 52.7% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 76 | Argentina | 52.8% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 77 | Namibia | 52.9% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 78 | Russian Federation | 52.9% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 79 | Ecuador | 53% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 80 | Costa Rica | 53.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 81 | Slovak Republic | 53.2% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 82 | Zimbabwe | 53.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 83 | India | 53.3% | 2023 | South Asia |
| 84 | Cyprus | 53.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 85 | Hungary | 53.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 86 | Mozambique | 54% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 87 | Greece | 54% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 88 | Kenya | 54% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 89 | South Africa | 54.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 90 | Korea, Rep. | 54.6% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 91 | Australia | 54.6% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 92 | Honduras | 54.7% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 93 | Poland | 54.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 94 | New Zealand | 55.4% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 95 | Ukraine | 55.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 96 | Netherlands | 55.9% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 97 | Tunisia | 56.1% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 98 | China | 56.1% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 99 | United States | 56.8% | 2023 | North America |
| 100 | Belarus | 57% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 101 | Lithuania | 57.1% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 102 | Tanzania | 58.3% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 103 | Finland | 58.3% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 104 | Belgium | 58.6% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 105 | Bermuda | 58.6% | 2023 | North America |
| 106 | Japan | 58.7% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 107 | Spain | 59.4% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 108 | United Kingdom | 59.5% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 109 | Sierra Leone | 59.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 110 | Denmark | 60.1% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 111 | Burundi | 60.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 112 | Estonia | 60.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 113 | Austria | 60.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 114 | Jamaica | 60.9% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 115 | Sweden | 61% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 116 | Eswatini | 61.2% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 117 | Croatia | 61.3% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 118 | Benin | 61.7% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 119 | Portugal | 61.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 120 | Iceland | 61.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 121 | Latvia | 62.2% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 122 | Cabo Verde | 62.6% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 123 | France | 63.1% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 124 | Slovenia | 63.3% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 125 | Djibouti | 63.4% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 126 | Sudan | 63.5% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 127 | Serbia | 63.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 128 | Germany | 63.7% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 129 | Cameroon | 64.4% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 130 | Aruba | 64.5% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 131 | Taiwan | 65.1% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 132 | Switzerland | 65.3% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 133 | Canada | 65.9% | 2023 | North America |
| 134 | Lesotho | 66.1% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 135 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 67.1% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 136 | Curacao | 67.9% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 137 | Albania | 70.5% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 138 | Sao Tome and Principe | 73.8% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 139 | Rwanda | 74.1% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 140 | Barbados | 75.1% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
More on labor share of income
- Countries With the Highest Labor Share of Income
- Labor share of income by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Lowest Market-income Gini
- Countries With the Lowest Redistribution
- Countries With the Lowest Gini Index
- Countries With the Lowest Extreme Poverty Rates
- Countries With the Lowest Equality Scores
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.