The short version
- AI exposure score: 3.5/10. Robotics risk 4.5/10; work-from-home potential 1.5/10. These come from our model-estimated scoring of ISCO-08 group 5, the same score in every country (see methodology).
- Share of jobs varies a lot by country: from 4.4% in Burundi to 41.9% in Congo. The typical country sits at 18.3%.
- Worldwide, 17.7% of workers in the 147 ranked countries do this kind of work.
Countries where service and sales workers are the biggest share of jobs
Share of all employed people, latest year per country (ILO ILOSTAT and national statistics). Only countries and territories that report all nine ISCO-08 major groups and have at least 200,000 workers are ranked.
| Country | Share of jobs | Workers | AI exposure (whole economy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congo | 41.9% | 429K | 3.82 |
| Jordan | 37.6% | 1.1M | 3.93 |
| Gambia | 32.0% | 219K | 3.40 |
| Guinea | 31.7% | 1.0M | 3.35 |
| Bahamas | 31.1% | 63K | 4.15 |
| Togo | 30.8% | 1.0M | 3.32 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 29.8% | 3.4M | 3.32 |
| Nigeria | 29.5% | 21.1M | 3.31 |
| Benin | 29.1% | 1.6M | 3.23 |
| El Salvador | 27.9% | 834K | 3.56 |
| Gabon | 27.6% | 141K | 3.74 |
| Algeria | 27.3% | 2.8M | 3.82 |
Countries with the most service and sales workers in absolute numbers
| Country | Workers | Share of jobs |
|---|---|---|
| India | 63.1M | 13.2% |
| Indonesia | 34.8M | 25.0% |
| United States | 29.4M | 20.4% |
| Brazil | 22.7M | 22.2% |
| Nigeria | 21.1M | 29.5% |
| Pakistan | 13.1M | 16.8% |
| Mexico | 12.4M | 20.9% |
| Russian Federation | 11.2M | 15.3% |
| Philippines | 11.0M | 23.5% |
| Vietnam | 10.3M | 19.2% |
How the share changes with national income
Grouping countries by the UNDP Human Development Index shows whether this kind of work grows or shrinks as economies develop.
| HDI group | Countries | Median share of jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Very high (0.800+) | 56 | 16.6% |
| High (0.700-0.799) | 30 | 20.1% |
| Medium (0.550-0.699) | 33 | 21.2% |
| Low (below 0.550) | 22 | 16.8% |
The fewest: Burundi (4.4%), Somalia (5.4%), Tanzania (5.8%), Madagascar (6.4%), South Korea (8.7%).
What this means
A country's AI exposure depends on how many of its workers sit in high-score groups. Service and sales workers score 3.5/10, so a country with a bigger share of this group pulls its national average down. Compare any country in the explore tool, or check a specific job with the job risk calculator.
Related reading
- The safest jobs from AI
- All nine occupation groups
- Countries with a similar workforce
- Workers in AI-exposed jobs, by country
Method: scores are model-estimated and describe job groups, not individual jobs. Data year differs by country. See methodology. Page updated 2026-10-28.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries have the most service and sales workers?
Measured as a share of all jobs, the top three are Congo (42%), Jordan (38%), Gambia (32%). Across the 147 countries ranked here, the typical country has 18.3% of its workers in this group.
How exposed are service and sales workers to AI?
Service and sales workers score 3.5/10 for AI exposure in our model-estimated scoring, with 4.5/10 for robotics risk and 1.5/10 for work-from-home potential. These are estimates, not forecasts.
Does the share of service and sales workers change with national income?
Yes. Using the UNDP Human Development Index to group countries, the median share is 16.6% in very high HDI countries and 16.8% in low HDI countries.
Where does this data come from?
Employment by occupation comes from ILO ILOSTAT and national statistics offices, using the latest year each country reports. Only the 147 countries and territories with all nine ISCO-08 major groups and at least 200,000 workers are ranked.