Labor participation rate in Spain
Spain: Labor participation rate was 57.41 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
57.41
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
125th
of 186 countries
All-time high
59.4
in 2012
All-time low
49.74
in 1991
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Spain, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Spain recorded 57.41 for labor participation rate in 2025.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Spain peaked at 59.4 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 49.74, in 1991.
That places Spain 125th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.86 | — |
| 1991 | 49.74 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 49.8 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 49.87 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 50.31 | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 50.12 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 50.41 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 50.92 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 51.24 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 51.77 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 52.89 | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 52.09 | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 53.66 | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 54.82 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 55.73 | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 56.88 | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 57.84 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 58.34 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 59.08 | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 59.25 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 59.36 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 59.37 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 59.4 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 59.13 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 58.73 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 58.62 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 58.33 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 58.05 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 57.63 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 57.63 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 56.4 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 57.27 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 57.57 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 57.59 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 57.84 | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 57.41 | -0.7% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 57.41 is below the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 92% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Spain's 57.41 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 60.23, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.4 | 49.74 | 51.77 | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.06 | 52.09 | 59.25 | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.63 | 57.63 | 59.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.35 | 56.4 | 57.84 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 122 Costa Rica 57.66 compare
- 123 Slovenia 57.56 compare
- 124 Uzbekistan 57.5 compare
- 126 Kyrgyzstan 57.37 compare
- 127 Fiji 57.16 compare
- 128 Lesotho 57.12 compare
More work & labour data for Spain
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4982 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1207 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,073 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,322 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,076 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 16,051 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 33,128 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor participation rate in Spain?
- Labor participation rate in Spain was 57.41 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 59.4 in 2012.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.74 in 1991.
- How does Spain rank for labor participation rate?
- Spain ranks 125th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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).