Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) was 68.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands stood at 68.7%. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
The figure is up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands peaked at 68.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 48.7%, in 1980.
That places Netherlands 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 52.1% | — |
| 1977 | 49.4% | -5.1% |
| 1979 | 49.4% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 48.7% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 49.3% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 50.8% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 51.0% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 50.7% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 51.3% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 56.0% | +9.1% |
| 1988 | 55.7% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 56.0% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 57.1% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 57.7% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 58.0% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 58.1% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 58.9% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 59.2% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 59.7% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 60.9% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 61.7% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 62.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 63.5% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 64.2% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 64.9% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 64.8% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 64.9% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 63.4% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 63.5% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 64.5% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 65.2% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 65.4% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 64.8% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 64.5% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 65.0% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 65.0% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 64.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 64.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 64.1% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 64.0% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 64.3% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 64.8% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 64.5% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 67.0% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 67.9% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 68.6% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 68.7% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 68.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.1% | 52.1% | 52.1% | 1 |
| 1970s | 49.4% | 49.4% | 49.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 52.2% | 48.7% | 56.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 59.4% | 57.1% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.4% | 63.4% | 65.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.5% | 64.0% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.6% | 64.5% | 68.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 41 Botswana 69.1% compare
- 42 Saint Lucia 68.9% compare
- 43 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.8% compare
- 44 Kazakhstan 68.7% compare
- 46 Kenya 68.7% compare
- 47 Gibraltar 68.4% 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, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands?
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in Netherlands was 68.7% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.7% in 1980.
- How does Netherlands rank for labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+)?
- Netherlands ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.
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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.