Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Labor force participation rate was 64.31 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
64.31
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
73rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
72.58
in 2005
All-time low
63.44
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 64.31 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 72.58 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 63.44, 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.
Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 72.19 | — |
| 1991 | 72.2 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 72.22 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 72.22 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 72.12 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 72.1 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 72.28 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 72.46 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 72.52 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 72.52 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 72.53 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 72.54 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 72.55 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 72.57 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 72.58 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 72.58 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 71.69 | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 70.79 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 69.87 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 68.93 | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 67.98 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 67.01 | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 66.03 | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 65.78 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 65.53 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 65.29 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 65.03 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 64.76 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 64.52 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 64.3 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 63.44 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 63.62 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 64.36 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 64.4 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 64.41 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 64.31 | -0.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64.31 is below the median for low income countries, which is 67.04, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64.31 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.31, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.28 | 72.1 | 72.52 | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.66 | 68.93 | 72.58 | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.62 | 64.3 | 67.98 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.09 | 63.44 | 64.41 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Labor force participation rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 64.31 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 72.58 in 2005.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.44 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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