Labor participation rate in Pakistan
Pakistan: Labor participation rate was 52.34 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
52.34
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
148th
of 186 countries
All-time high
52.73
in 2021
All-time low
48.36
in 1995
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Pakistan, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 52.34 for labor participation rate in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Pakistan peaked at 52.73 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 48.36, in 1995.
That places Pakistan 148th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.35 | — |
| 1991 | 49.68 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 49.68 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 49.2 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 49.15 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 48.36 | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 49.24 | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 50.12 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 49.95 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 50.18 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 50.41 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 50.43 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 50.45 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 50.59 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 50.73 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 50.38 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 50.03 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 50.05 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 50.08 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 50.53 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 51 | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 50.77 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 51.11 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 51.45 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 51 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 52.03 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 51.68 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 51.34 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 50.99 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 51.6 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 51.59 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 52.73 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 52.41 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 52.37 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 52.31 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 52.34 | +0.1% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 52.34 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 91% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 52.34 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 44.99, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.49 | 48.36 | 50.18 | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.37 | 50.03 | 50.73 | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.3 | 50.77 | 52.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.29 | 51.59 | 52.73 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 145 Sierra Leone 53.37 compare
- 146 Guinea 52.61 compare
- 147 French Polynesia 52.37 compare
- 149 Cuba 52.25 compare
- 150 Croatia 52.14 compare
- 151 Papua New Guinea 52.07 compare
More work & labour data for Pakistan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1658 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1724 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.4553 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 160,228 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 146,712 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 259,090 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 251,911 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 511,001 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor participation rate in Pakistan?
- Labor participation rate in Pakistan was 52.34 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 52.73 in 2021.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.36 in 1995.
- How does Pakistan rank for labor participation rate?
- Pakistan ranks 148th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor 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).