Labor force participation rate in China
China: Labor force participation rate was 64.55 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
64.55
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
68th
of 186 countries
All-time high
79.17
in 1990
All-time low
64.55
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in China, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate in China is 64.55, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in China peaked at 79.17 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 64.55, in 2025.
That places China 68th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 79.17 | — |
| 1991 | 78.71 | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 78.23 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 77.75 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 77.27 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.77 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 76.27 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 75.76 | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 75.25 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 74.72 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 74.19 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 73.88 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 73.56 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 73.25 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 72.93 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 72.61 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 72.28 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 71.95 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 71.62 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 71.29 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 70.96 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 70.86 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 70.41 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 69.97 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 69.65 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 69.3 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 68.88 | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 68.35 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 67.81 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 67.38 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 65.72 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 67.11 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 65.8 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 65.83 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 64.91 | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 64.55 | -0.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 64.55 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60.51, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 64.55 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.35, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.99 | 74.72 | 79.17 | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.76 | 71.29 | 74.19 | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.36 | 67.38 | 70.96 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.65 | 64.55 | 67.11 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More work & labour data for China
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.65 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.74 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.57 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0615 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1.12 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 275,362 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 319,567 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 326,230 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 645,797 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in China?
- Labor force participation rate in China was 64.55 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 79.17 in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.55 in 2025.
- How does China rank for labor force participation rate?
- China ranks 68th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).