Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in North America
North America: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) was 56.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in North America, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
North America recorded 56.3% for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in North America peaked at 68.9% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 54.7%, in 2020.
That places North America 1st out of 22 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 56.4% | — |
| 1961 | 55.9% | -1.0% |
| 1962 | 55.8% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 55.2% | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 55.3% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 55.8% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 57.1% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 57.7% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 57.7% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 58.9% | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 59.8% | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 59.6% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 61.8% | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 63.7% | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 64.9% | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 64.6% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 65.1% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 66.5% | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 67.9% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 68.5% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 68.1% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 67.9% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 67.2% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 67.2% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 67.7% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 68.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 68.7% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 68.6% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 68.9% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 67.6% | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 66.2% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 65.9% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 66.3% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 66.1% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 65.4% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 65.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 65.5% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 65.3% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 65.7% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 64.5% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 63.6% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 62.1% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 61.7% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 61.3% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 61.2% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 60.2% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 59.7% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 57.8% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 56.1% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 56.0% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 55.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 56.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 56.0% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 56.0% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 56.1% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 56.4% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 56.2% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 56.8% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 54.7% | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 56.3% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 56.5% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 57.1% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 56.6% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 56.3% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 56.6% | 55.2% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.2% | 59.6% | 68.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.1% | 67.2% | 68.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.0% | 65.3% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.8% | 57.8% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.1% | 55.8% | 56.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.2% | 54.7% | 57.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 1 Netherlands 83.3% compare
- 2 Iceland 82.7% compare
- 3 Tanzania, United Republic of 73.1% compare
- 4 Niger 71.5% compare
More work & labour data for North America
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 51.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 52.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 74.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in North America?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in North America was 56.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 68.9% in 1989.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.7% in 2020.
- How does North America rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%)?
- North America ranks 1st out of 22 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.