Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Labor force participation rate was 64.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 64.3% for labor force participation rate in 2025.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 72.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 63.4%, in 2020.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 73rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.3% | 72.1% | 72.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.7% | 68.9% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.6% | 64.3% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.1% | 63.4% | 64.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 66.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 92.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 61.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 64.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 66.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 62.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 64.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.4% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for labor force participation rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).