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Indicators · Industries and economic structure

Employment in services

Share of employed people working in services (ILO modelled estimates).

Why it matters

Shows where the workforce is moving as economies urbanise, and the size of the service-sector labour pool.

Read with care

Includes a lot of informal trading and small-scale services.

Source

World Bank

% of employment. 53 African countries, 1991 to 2025.

Services jobs: highest in Mauritius, lowest in Mozambique


Employment in services, % of employment. Latest year available, 2025. 15 of 16 countries have data.

40%
60%
No data
Loading map…
Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: services jobsiWhy it mattersShows where the workforce is moving as economies urbanise, and the size of the service-sector labour pool.


Click a country to highlight it.

0%20%40%60%80%Mauritius74.7%South Africa73.8%Botswana66.2%Namibia61.1%Eswatini58.7%Comoros51.6%Angola40.9%Lesotho36.1%Zambia35.2%Zimbabwe34.2%DRC33.5%Malawi27.7%Tanzania27.3%Madagascar20.9%Mozambique20.6%median 36.1%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 36.1%Lowest: Mozambique 20.6%Highest: Mauritius 74.7%

Over time

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Employment in services against income per person


Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)Services jobsDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMalawiZambiaZimbabwe
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Mauritius74.7%2025up 3.4 points since 2020A
2South Africa73.8%2025up 0.5 points since 2020A
3Botswana66.2%2025up 0.7 points since 2020A
4Namibia61.1%2025up 0.7 points since 2020A
5Eswatini58.7%2025down 8.8 points since 2020A
6Comoros51.6%2025up 2.4 points since 2020A
7Angola40.9%2025up 2.6 points since 2020A
8Lesotho36.1%2025up 0.9 points since 2020A
9Zambia35.2%2025up 3.0 points since 2020A
10Zimbabwe34.2%2025up 5.1 points since 2020A
11DRC33.5%2025up 2.5 points since 2020A
12Malawi27.7%2025little changed since 2020A
13Tanzania27.3%2025up 1.1 point since 2020A
14Madagascar20.9%2025up 1.9 point since 2020A
15Mozambique20.6%2025up 0.4 points since 2020A
–SeychellesNo recent data