Labor force participation rate in Tanzania
Tanzania: Labor force participation rate was 83.72 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
83.72
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
4th
of 186 countries
All-time high
88.35
in 2006
All-time low
82.84
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Tanzania, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 83.72 for labor force participation rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Tanzania peaked at 88.35 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 82.84, in 2020.
That places Tanzania 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Labor force participation rate in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 86.68 | — |
| 1991 | 86.66 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 86.63 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 86.57 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 86.48 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 86.44 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 86.46 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 86.48 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 86.47 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 86.46 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 86.44 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 86.44 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 86.84 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 87.23 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 87.61 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 87.99 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 88.35 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 87.86 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 87.36 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 86.84 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 86.31 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 85.75 | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 85.17 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 84.58 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 83.97 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 83.94 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 83.89 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 83.86 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 83.83 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 83.81 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 82.84 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 83.73 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 83.77 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 83.77 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 83.75 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 83.72 | -0.0% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 83.72 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 83.72 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.31, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.53 | 86.44 | 86.68 | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.3 | 86.44 | 88.35 | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.51 | 83.81 | 86.31 | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.6 | 82.84 | 83.77 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 1 Qatar 87.01 compare
- 2 Madagascar 85.5 compare
- 3 Solomon Islands 84.3 compare
- 5 Nigeria 82.52 compare
- 6 Cambodia 82.39 compare
- 7 North Korea 82.15 compare
More work & labour data for Tanzania
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 7,078 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 83.66 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 36,231 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.52 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.09 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 8,562 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 2,584 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 82.38 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.35 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Tanzania?
- Labor force participation rate in Tanzania was 83.72 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 88.35 in 2006.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.84 in 2020.
- How does Tanzania rank for labor force participation rate?
- Tanzania ranks 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Tanzania 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).