Labor participation rate, total (% of total population ages 35-54) by country
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 35-54 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. The participation rates are harmonized to account for differences in national data collection and tabulation...
What the numbers show
Labor participation rate, total (% of total population ages 35-54) is currently reported for 52 countries. The highest value is 98.6% in Malawi; the lowest is 55.0% in Algeria.
The median across all reporting countries is 86.3%, and the mean is 82.1%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 39 countries rose and 13 fell. The largest increase was in Djibouti (up 9.8%), and the largest decrease in Morocco (down 5.1%).
Labor participation rate, total: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malawi | 98.6% | 2010 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 2 | Mozambique | 97.0% | 2010 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 3 | Burundi | 96.9% | 2010 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 4 | Rwanda | 96.6% | 2010 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 5 | Madagascar | 96.5% | 2010 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 6 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 96.3% | 2010 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 7 | Equatorial Guinea | 95.3% | 2010 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 8 | Togo | 94.6% | 2010 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 9 | Zimbabwe | 94.5% | 2010 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 10 | Uganda | 94.0% | 2010 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 11 | Eritrea | 92.4% | 2010 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 12 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 92.3% | 2010 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 13 | Ethiopia | 92.2% | 2010 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 14 | Burkina Faso | 92.1% | 2010 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 15 | Central African Republic | 91.8% | 2010 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 16 | Congo | 90.3% | 2010 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 17 | Botswana | 90.0% | 2010 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 18 | Zambia | 89.6% | 2010 | down 0.7% | flat |
| 19 | Cameroon | 89.2% | 2010 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 20 | Gabon | 88.3% | 2010 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 21 | Ghana | 88.2% | 2010 | down 3.1% | flat |
| 22 | Senegal | 88.0% | 2010 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 23 | Guinea-Bissau | 87.9% | 2010 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 24 | Gambia | 87.4% | 2010 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 25 | Kenya | 87.1% | 2010 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 26 | Guinea | 86.8% | 2010 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 27 | Sierra Leone | 85.9% | 2010 | down 0.9% | flat |
| 28 | Chad | 85.2% | 2010 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 29 | Benin | 84.9% | 2010 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 30 | Angola | 84.5% | 2010 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 31 | Lesotho | 83.5% | 2010 | down 2.7% | flat |
| 32 | Liberia | 82.5% | 2010 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 33 | Namibia | 82.1% | 2010 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 34 | Côte d'Ivoire | 80.5% | 2010 | up 2.3% | flat |
| 35 | Cape Verde | 76.7% | 2010 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 36 | Sao Tome and Principe | 76.2% | 2010 | up 3.4% | rising |
| 37 | Mauritius | 74.9% | 2010 | up 2.6% | flat |
| 38 | Niger | 73.6% | 2010 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 39 | South Africa | 72.5% | 2010 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 40 | Nigeria | 71.0% | 2010 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 41 | Eswatini | 69.7% | 2010 | up 2.8% | flat |
| 41 | Comoros | 69.7% | 2010 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 43 | Somalia | 67.2% | 2010 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 44 | Sudan | 65.7% | 2010 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 45 | Mali | 64.2% | 2010 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 46 | Mauritania | 64.1% | 2010 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 47 | Libya | 63.7% | 2010 | down 2.6% | flat |
| 48 | Egypt | 63.5% | 2010 | up 5.1% | flat |
| 49 | Djibouti | 61.5% | 2010 | up 9.8% | rising |
| 50 | Morocco | 59.8% | 2010 | down 5.1% | flat |
| 51 | Tunisia | 57.7% | 2010 | down 1.5% | flat |
| 52 | Algeria | 55.0% | 2010 | up 4.4% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 35-54 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. The participation rates are harmonized to account for differences in national data collection and tabulation methodologies as well as for other country-specific factors such as military service requirements. The series includes both nationally reported and imputed data and only estimates that are national, meaning there are no geographic limitations in coverage.