Labor force participation rate by age in Netherlands
Netherlands: Labor force participation rate by age was 83.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate by age in Netherlands, 1990–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 83.2% for labor force participation rate by age in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate by age in Netherlands peaked at 84.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 77.3%, in 2014.
Netherlands ranks 1st of 188 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate by age in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 84.1% | — |
| 1991 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 83.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 83.1% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 82.9% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 83.1% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 82.9% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 82.7% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 82.4% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 82.2% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 81.7% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 81.2% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 80.6% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 80.5% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 80.9% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 80.7% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 80.8% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 80.6% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.2% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 78.4% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 78.2% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 79.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 79.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 77.3% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 78.4% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 78.0% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 78.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 78.5% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 79.6% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 78.3% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 79.1% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 81.7% | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 83.4% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 83.2% | -0.1% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 83.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.6%, 2.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 83.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.1%, 2.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.1% | 82.4% | 84.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.9% | 80.2% | 82.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.5% | 77.3% | 79.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.1% | 78.3% | 83.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 2 Iceland 82.2% compare
- 3 North Korea 78.5% compare
- 4 Madagascar 72.5% compare
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate by age in Netherlands?
- Labor force participation rate by age in Netherlands was 83.2% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 84.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate by age recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.3% in 2014.
- How does Netherlands rank for labor force participation rate by age?
- Netherlands ranks 1st out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labor force participation rate by age rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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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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).