Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta
Malta: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) was 67.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta, 1967–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta is 67.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta peaked at 72.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 32.5%, in 1967.
Malta ranks 52nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 32.5% | — |
| 1979 | 37.6% | +15.6% |
| 1980 | 38.9% | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 38.1% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 36.7% | -3.6% |
| 1985 | 40.1% | +9.3% |
| 1986 | 36.6% | -8.8% |
| 1987 | 36.9% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 37.3% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 37.2% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 36.1% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 47.0% | +30.2% |
| 1995 | 48.8% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 48.0% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 47.8% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 47.7% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 38.4% | -19.5% |
| 2000 | 49.7% | +29.3% |
| 2001 | 50.3% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 50.4% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 50.3% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 49.0% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 49.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 49.1% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 49.9% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 50.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 53.7% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 54.3% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 55.2% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 56.6% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 58.3% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 59.6% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 60.2% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 61.3% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 62.5% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 64.4% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 65.6% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 66.8% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 68.1% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 70.5% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 71.8% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 72.9% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 67.5% | -7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.5% | 32.5% | 32.5% | 1 |
| 1970s | 37.6% | 37.6% | 37.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 37.7% | 36.6% | 40.1% | 8 |
| 1990s | 43.9% | 36.1% | 48.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 50.1% | 49.0% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.8% | 54.3% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.6% | 66.8% | 72.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 49 Burkina Faso 68.1% compare
- 50 Indonesia 67.9% compare
- 51 Singapore 67.9% compare
- 52 Sweden 67.5% compare
- 54 Saudi Arabia 67.4% compare
- 55 Switzerland 67.3% compare
More work & labour data for Malta
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.8118 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7863 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.8415 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.79 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.2041 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 404.95 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14.3 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 168.51 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 191.42 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 359.93 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta?
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Malta was 67.5% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 72.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.5% in 1967.
- How does Malta rank for labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+)?
- Malta ranks 52nd out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.