Labor force participation rate by country

Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).

Countries reporting
183
Highest
87.0%
Qatar
Lowest
23.3%
Sao Tome and Principe
Median
61.4%
Years covered
36
1990–2025
Data points
6,682

What the numbers show

Labor force participation rate is currently reported for 183 countries. The highest value is 87.0% in Qatar; the lowest is 23.3% in Sao Tome and Principe.

The median across all reporting countries is 61.4%, and the mean is 60.5%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.

Over the past decade 75 countries rose and 108 fell. The largest increase was in Comoros (up 21.0%), and the largest decrease in Samoa (down 22.3%).

Labor force participation rate: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Qatar 87.0% 2025 down 0.3% rising
2 Madagascar 85.5% 2025 down 0.6% flat
3 Solomon Islands 84.3% 2025 down 0.2% flat
4 Tanzania 83.7% 2025 down 0.3% flat
5 Nigeria 82.5% 2025 up 2.1% flat
6 Cambodia 82.4% 2025 up 3.5% flat
7 North Korea 82.2% 2025 up 0.1% flat
8 Uganda 80.0% 2025 up 5.9% rising
9 Niger 79.7% 2025 up 8.7% flat
10 Mozambique 78.7% 2025 down 0.4% falling
11 Bolivia 78.6% 2025 up 16.4% rising
12 United Arab Emirates 78.6% 2025 up 0.8% rising
13 Eritrea 78.3% 2025 down 1.1% flat
14 Burundi 78.3% 2025 down 1.6% falling
15 Liberia 76.6% 2025 down 0.5% flat
16 Benin 76.4% 2025 up 3.9% rising
17 Iceland 74.9% 2025 down 2.3% flat
18 Angola 74.8% 2025 down 1.8% flat
19 Bahamas 73.8% 2025 down 0.2% flat
20 South Sudan 73.4% 2023 down 0.2% flat
21 Central African Republic 73.4% 2025 down 0.0% flat
22 Kuwait 73.4% 2025 up 1.4% rising
23 Peru 72.9% 2025 down 4.0% rising
24 Vietnam 72.8% 2025 down 6.0% flat
25 Moldova 72.3% 2025 up 3.0% rising
26 Bahrain 70.4% 2025 down 1.3% rising
27 New Zealand 70.4% 2025 up 2.9% rising
28 Paraguay 70.2% 2025 up 3.4% flat
29 Burkina Faso 70.0% 2025 down 11.0% falling
30 Singapore 69.7% 2025 up 0.2% rising
31 Jamaica 69.6% 2025 up 6.2% falling
32 Botswana 68.8% 2025 up 10.6% rising
33 Ethiopia 68.5% 2025 down 12.2% falling
34 Oman 68.4% 2025 down 1.5% rising
35 Saint Lucia 68.3% 2025 down 1.5% rising
36 Indonesia 68.0% 2025 up 2.1% flat
37 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 67.9% 2025 up 1.5% rising
38 Macao 67.8% 2025 down 4.2% rising
39 Congo 67.8% 2025 down 0.4% flat
40 Kazakhstan 67.8% 2025 down 3.8% flat
41 Zimbabwe 67.7% 2025 up 2.4% flat
42 Kenya 67.4% 2025 down 9.3% falling
43 Netherlands 67.2% 2025 up 1.2% flat
44 Cote d'Ivoire 67.1% 2025 up 0.2% flat
45 Mali 67.0% 2025 down 5.0% flat
46 East Timor 67.0% 2025 up 0.1% falling
47 Cyprus 67.0% 2025 up 4.4% rising
48 Switzerland 66.7% 2025 down 2.2% flat
49 Thailand 66.7% 2025 down 3.7% falling
50 Australia 66.5% 2025 up 2.2% rising
51 Panama 66.3% 2025 up 1.0% rising
52 Malaysia 66.1% 2025 up 1.4% rising
53 Laos 66.1% 2025 up 10.1% flat
54 Nicaragua 66.1% 2025 up 1.5% rising
55 Norway 65.6% 2025 down 1.4% flat
56 Israel 65.5% 2025 down 0.1% rising
57 Cameroon 65.2% 2025 down 8.4% falling
58 Estonia 65.1% 2025 up 5.4% flat
59 Saudi Arabia 65.1% 2025 up 9.0% rising
60 Uruguay 65.0% 2025 up 0.1% rising
61 Denmark 64.9% 2025 up 5.7% falling
63 Dominican Republic 64.8% 2025 up 4.6% rising
64 Bhutan 64.8% 2025 up 2.7% falling
65 Guinea-Bissau 64.8% 2025 up 2.6% flat
66 Barbados 64.7% 2025 down 1.1% falling
67 Sweden 64.6% 2025 up 1.1% flat
68 China 64.6% 2025 down 6.9% falling
69 Canada 64.5% 2025 down 2.1% flat
70 Ecuador 64.5% 2025 down 1.8% flat
71 South Korea 64.4% 2025 up 2.8% rising
72 Georgia 64.3% 2025 down 2.8% falling
73 Democratic Republic of Congo 64.3% 2025 down 1.5% falling
74 Albania 64.3% 2025 up 15.8% falling
75 Brunei 64.2% 2025 down 2.2% falling
77 Haiti 63.9% 2025 down 2.9% flat
78 Rwanda 63.7% 2025 up 5.0% flat
79 Maldives 63.5% 2025 up 13.0% rising
80 Japan 63.4% 2025 up 6.6% flat
81 Colombia 63.4% 2025 down 5.4% falling
82 Azerbaijan 63.3% 2025 down 0.4% falling
83 Brazil 63.1% 2025 down 1.8% flat
84 Lithuania 62.9% 2025 up 6.4% flat
85 Belarus 62.7% 2025 down 2.4% rising
86 Malawi 62.6% 2025 down 6.5% falling
87 Chile 62.3% 2025 up 0.1% rising
88 Guam 62.3% 2025 down 0.2% falling
89 El Salvador 62.1% 2025 up 5.8% flat
90 Zambia 61.9% 2025 up 5.4% flat
91 Argentina 61.9% 2025 up 4.5% flat
92 United States 61.7% 2025 down 0.9% falling
93 Mexico 61.6% 2025 up 1.7% flat
95 United Kingdom 61.4% 2025 down 1.4% flat
96 Philippines 61.4% 2025 down 0.1% flat
97 Russia 61.1% 2025 down 2.5% flat
98 Hungary 60.6% 2025 up 7.8% rising
99 Germany 60.6% 2025 up 0.6% rising
100 Latvia 60.5% 2025 up 0.8% flat
101 Equatorial Guinea 60.5% 2025 down 0.8% flat
102 Slovakia 60.4% 2025 up 1.3% flat
103 Czechia 60.3% 2025 up 1.6% flat
104 Austria 60.1% 2025 down 0.2% rising
105 Mongolia 59.7% 2025 up 0.0% rising
106 Finland 59.7% 2025 up 1.6% falling
107 Guatemala 59.6% 2025 down 1.6% falling
108 Chad 59.4% 2025 down 3.4% falling
109 Armenia 59.4% 2025 down 3.5% falling
110 Serbia 59.1% 2025 up 15.5% falling
111 Belize 59.1% 2025 down 7.5% rising
112 Namibia 58.8% 2025 down 3.0% rising
113 Bangladesh 58.8% 2025 up 4.1% flat
114 Mauritius 58.5% 2025 down 3.0% flat
115 Ghana 58.5% 2025 down 15.5% falling
116 Poland 58.3% 2025 up 2.2% flat
117 Portugal 58.2% 2025 down 0.7% flat
118 Vanuatu 58.1% 2025 down 5.1% falling
119 Montenegro 58.0% 2025 up 10.7% rising
120 Togo 57.8% 2025 down 0.5% flat
121 Trinidad and Tobago 57.8% 2025 down 8.4% flat
122 Costa Rica 57.7% 2025 down 8.2% rising
123 Slovenia 57.6% 2025 down 0.0% flat
124 Uzbekistan 57.5% 2025 up 2.2% flat
125 Spain 57.4% 2025 down 2.1% rising
126 Kyrgyzstan 57.4% 2025 down 3.6% falling
127 Fiji 57.2% 2025 down 1.9% flat
128 Lesotho 57.1% 2025 down 9.0% falling
129 Cape Verde 57.0% 2025 down 3.6% falling
130 Honduras 56.6% 2025 down 11.8% falling
131 New Caledonia 56.4% 2025 down 10.0% falling
132 Hong Kong 56.4% 2025 down 6.8% falling
133 Bulgaria 56.1% 2025 up 3.5% rising
134 Comoros 55.8% 2025 up 21.0% rising
135 India 55.7% 2025 up 5.0% falling
136 South Africa 55.6% 2025 up 1.8% falling
137 France 55.3% 2025 down 0.5% flat
138 Myanmar 55.1% 2025 down 14.9% falling
139 Guyana 55.0% 2025 down 1.4% falling
140 Ukraine 54.6% 2021 down 2.9% falling
141 Turkey 54.4% 2025 up 6.0% flat
142 United States Virgin Islands 54.4% 2025 down 7.3% falling
143 Belgium 54.3% 2025 up 1.7% rising
144 Suriname 53.8% 2025 down 3.1% rising
145 Sierra Leone 53.4% 2025 down 5.0% falling
146 Guinea 52.6% 2025 down 5.5% falling
147 French Polynesia 52.4% 2025 down 6.4% falling
148 Pakistan 52.3% 2025 up 0.6% rising
149 Cuba 52.2% 2025 down 5.9% flat
150 Croatia 52.1% 2025 down 0.8% falling
151 Papua New Guinea 52.1% 2025 up 4.6% rising
152 Senegal 52.0% 2025 up 14.4% flat
153 Greece 52.0% 2025 up 1.5% flat
154 North Macedonia 51.9% 2025 down 3.8% flat
155 Venezuela 51.9% 2025 down 15.8% falling
156 Romania 51.3% 2025 up 0.2% flat
157 Eswatini 51.2% 2025 down 0.1% falling
158 Gabon 51.1% 2025 up 1.2% rising
159 Tonga 49.8% 2025 down 9.5% falling
160 Italy 49.3% 2025 up 1.4% flat
161 Bosnia and Herzegovina 49.0% 2025 down 1.8% falling
162 Sri Lanka 48.5% 2025 down 9.6% falling
163 Libya 48.0% 2025 down 2.9% rising
164 Gambia 47.5% 2025 down 0.8% flat
165 Tunisia 45.2% 2025 down 4.8% falling
166 Palestine 45.0% 2022 up 7.9% rising
167 Egypt 44.6% 2025 down 5.1% falling
168 Morocco 43.9% 2025 down 7.4% falling
169 Lebanon 43.4% 2023 down 5.9% rising
170 Puerto Rico 42.8% 2025 up 12.5% falling
171 Samoa 42.5% 2025 down 22.3% falling
172 Turkmenistan 42.0% 2025 down 3.5% falling
173 Iraq 41.5% 2025 down 3.5% flat
174 Iran 41.0% 2025 down 2.3% falling
175 Algeria 40.8% 2025 down 3.9% falling
176 Mauritania 40.8% 2025 down 3.1% falling
177 Jordan 40.1% 2025 up 6.4% flat
178 Nepal 39.2% 2025 down 2.4% falling
179 Tajikistan 38.3% 2025 down 4.6% falling
180 Sudan 37.5% 2022 down 21.6% falling
181 Afghanistan 37.5% 2025 down 20.6% falling
182 Syria 36.9% 2025 down 2.1% falling
183 Somalia 33.8% 2025 down 0.9% flat
184 Yemen 33.1% 2025 up 3.2% falling
185 Djibouti 31.7% 2025 down 2.6% falling
186 Sao Tome and Principe 23.3% 2025 down 2.7% falling

About this data

Indicator
Labor force participation rate
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,682 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).