Labor force participation rate by age in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Labor force participation rate by age was 43.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate by age in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 43.1% for labor force participation rate by age in 2024.
The figure is up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate by age in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 45.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 35.9%, in 2012.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 79th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.3% | 42.1% | 44.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.8% | 39.8% | 45.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.1% | 35.9% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.1% | 42.8% | 43.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 62.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 66.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 64.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 61.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 92.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 66.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 43.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate by age in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Labor force participation rate by age in Democratic Republic of Congo was 43.1% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate by age recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate by age recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.9% in 2012.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for labor force participation rate by age?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 79th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labor force participation rate by age rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate by age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population aged 15-24 who are economically active (employed or unemployed).