Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population) in United States
United States: Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population) was 42.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force with basic education in United States, 1994–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with basic education.
Analysis
United States recorded 42.8% for labor force with basic education in 2025.
The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force with basic education in United States peaked at 44.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 35.4%, in 1994.
United States ranks 77th of 125 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population) in United States, year by year
| Year | % of total working-age population with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 35.4% | — |
| 1995 | 36.1% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 36.5% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 37.7% | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 37.8% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 38.0% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 40.1% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 40.2% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 40.6% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 40.9% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 41.3% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 41.3% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 42.1% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 42.5% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 42.0% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 42.0% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 41.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 40.9% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 40.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 40.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 41.3% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 41.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 42.0% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 42.2% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 41.0% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 41.8% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 42.6% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 44.2% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 44.4% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 42.8% | -3.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 42.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 41.5%, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.9% | 35.4% | 38.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 41.3% | 40.1% | 42.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.3% | 40.8% | 42.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.8% | 41.0% | 44.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force with basic education in United States?
- Labor force with basic education in United States was 42.8% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force with basic education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest labor force with basic education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.4% in 1994.
- How does United States rank for labor force with basic education?
- United States ranks 77th out of 125 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force with basic education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).