Labor force participation rate in Brunei
Brunei: Labor force participation rate was 64.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate in Brunei, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Brunei recorded 64.2% for labor force participation rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Brunei peaked at 68.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 63.9%, in 2021.
That places Brunei 75th 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 Brunei, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 66.4% | — |
| 1991 | 66.4% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 66.7% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 67.1% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 67.4% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 67.6% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 67.8% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 68.0% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 68.1% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 68.3% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 68.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 68.5% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 68.4% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 68.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 68.0% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 67.8% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 67.6% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 67.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 66.9% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 66.7% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 66.6% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 66.5% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 66.4% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 66.2% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 65.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 65.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 65.4% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 65.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 66.4% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 64.8% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 64.0% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 63.9% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 64.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 64.7% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 64.5% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 64.2% | -0.4% |
Brunei compared with similar countries
- Brunei's 64.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.3%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Brunei's 64.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.4%, 100% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.4% | 66.4% | 68.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.8% | 66.7% | 68.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.9% | 64.8% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.2% | 63.9% | 64.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brunei
More work & labour data for Brunei
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 137.72 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.56 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 240.28 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.43 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.08 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 172,284 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 64,415 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 60.11 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.06 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.5234 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Brunei?
- Labor force participation rate in Brunei was 64.2% 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 Brunei?
- The highest recorded value was 68.5% in 2001.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Brunei?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.9% in 2021.
- How does Brunei rank for labor force participation rate?
- Brunei ranks 75th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Brunei?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brunei 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).