Labor force participation rate by age in Nepal

Nepal: Labor force participation rate by age was 27.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
27.4%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
155th
of 188 countries
All-time high
34.4%
in 1993
All-time low
27.4%
in 2024
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Labor force participation rate by age in Nepal, 1990–2024

01020301990200720241990: 34.4 %1991: 34.4 %1992: 34.4 %1993: 34.4 %1994: 34.4 %1995: 34.3 %1996: 34.2 %1997: 34.1 %1998: 34.1 %1999: 34 %2000: 34 %2001: 34 %2002: 33.9 %2003: 33.8 %2004: 33.6 %2005: 33.4 %2006: 33.2 %2007: 32.9 %2008: 32.6 %2009: 32.4 %2010: 32.2 %2011: 32 %2012: 31.6 %2013: 31.2 %2014: 30.7 %2015: 30.4 %2016: 30 %2017: 29.5 %2018: 29 %2019: 28.6 %2020: 28.3 %2021: 28.5 %2022: 27.8 %2023: 27.7 %2024: 27.4 %

Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Nepal recorded 27.4% for labor force participation rate by age in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force participation rate by age in Nepal peaked at 34.4% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 27.4%, in 2024.

Nepal ranks 155th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 34.3% 34.0% 34.4% 10
2000s 33.4% 32.4% 34.0% 10
2010s 30.5% 28.6% 32.2% 10
2020s 27.9% 27.4% 28.5% 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 152 Papua New Guinea 28.4% compare
  2. 153 Eswatini 27.5% compare
  3. 154 Morocco 27.5% compare
  4. 156 Iraq 27.1% compare
  5. 157 Czechia 27.0% compare
  6. 158 Slovakia 26.9% compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More work & labour data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force participation rate by age in Nepal?
Labor force participation rate by age in Nepal was 27.4% 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 34.4% in 1993.
What is the lowest labor force participation rate by age recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 27.4% in 2024.
How does Nepal rank for labor force participation rate by age?
Nepal ranks 155th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
Is labor force participation rate by age rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nepal 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force participation rate by age
Unit
%
Source
International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 6,816 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Share of the working-age population aged 15-24 who are economically active (employed or unemployed).