Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) by country
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more...
What the numbers show
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) is currently reported for 189 countries. The highest value is 771,810 in China; the lowest is 33.51 in Tonga.
The median across all reporting countries is 4,519, and the mean is 20,524.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 23,032.
Over the past decade 159 countries rose and 30 fell. The largest increase was in Syria (up 64.8%), and the largest decrease in United States Virgin Islands (down 18.5%).
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 771,810 | 2027 | down 2.1% | rising |
| 2 | India | 635,848 | 2027 | up 23.1% | rising |
| 3 | United States | 178,849 | 2027 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 4 | Indonesia | 150,937 | 2027 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 5 | Nigeria | 123,342 | 2027 | up 35.7% | rising |
| 6 | Brazil | 109,032 | 2027 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 7 | Pakistan | 89,226 | 2027 | up 26.6% | rising |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 76,980 | 2027 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 9 | Russia | 71,526 | 2027 | down 5.2% | flat |
| 10 | Japan | 69,077 | 2027 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 11 | Mexico | 63,308 | 2027 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 12 | Ethiopia | 60,179 | 2027 | up 26.1% | rising |
| 13 | Vietnam | 57,816 | 2027 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 14 | Philippines | 54,020 | 2027 | up 24.9% | rising |
| 15 | Germany | 42,980 | 2027 | down 1.5% | rising |
| 16 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 41,856 | 2027 | up 37.0% | rising |
| 17 | Thailand | 40,597 | 2027 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 18 | Turkey | 38,497 | 2027 | up 14.4% | rising |
| 19 | Egypt | 37,658 | 2027 | up 22.6% | rising |
| 20 | Tanzania | 36,231 | 2027 | up 38.5% | rising |
| 21 | United Kingdom | 35,770 | 2027 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 22 | France | 31,690 | 2027 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 23 | Iran | 29,874 | 2027 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 24 | South Korea | 29,824 | 2027 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 25 | Colombia | 27,686 | 2027 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 26 | South Africa | 27,412 | 2027 | up 19.8% | rising |
| 27 | Kenya | 26,040 | 2027 | up 24.1% | rising |
| 28 | Italy | 25,337 | 2027 | down 2.1% | rising |
| 29 | Uganda | 25,081 | 2027 | up 63.8% | rising |
| 30 | Spain | 23,742 | 2027 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 31 | Myanmar | 23,310 | 2027 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 32 | Argentina | 22,928 | 2027 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 33 | Canada | 22,260 | 2027 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 34 | Ukraine | 20,539 | 2021 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 35 | Peru | 19,811 | 2027 | up 12.3% | rising |
| 36 | Malaysia | 19,353 | 2027 | up 22.6% | rising |
| 37 | Poland | 18,722 | 2027 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 38 | Madagascar | 18,089 | 2027 | up 34.2% | rising |
| 39 | Saudi Arabia | 17,818 | 2027 | up 31.1% | volatile |
| 40 | North Korea | 17,790 | 2027 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 41 | Angola | 17,452 | 2027 | up 39.4% | rising |
| 42 | Mozambique | 16,720 | 2027 | up 37.8% | rising |
| 43 | Australia | 15,007 | 2027 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 14,966 | 2027 | up 16.9% | rising |
| 45 | Cote d'Ivoire | 13,867 | 2027 | up 36.2% | rising |
| 46 | Algeria | 13,828 | 2027 | up 11.9% | rising |
| 47 | Ghana | 13,723 | 2027 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 48 | Iraq | 13,280 | 2027 | up 33.7% | rising |
| 49 | Niger | 12,971 | 2027 | up 62.2% | rising |
| 50 | Morocco | 12,909 | 2027 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 51 | Taiwan | 12,110 | 2027 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 52 | Cameroon | 12,086 | 2027 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 53 | Venezuela | 11,326 | 2027 | down 14.3% | rising |
| 54 | Sudan | 10,949 | 2022 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 55 | Cambodia | 10,688 | 2027 | up 19.6% | rising |
| 56 | Burkina Faso | 10,565 | 2027 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 57 | Netherlands | 10,535 | 2027 | up 9.8% | rising |
| 58 | Chile | 10,520 | 2027 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 59 | Kazakhstan | 10,322 | 2027 | up 10.3% | rising |
| 60 | Afghanistan | 10,025 | 2027 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 61 | Mali | 9,791 | 2027 | up 37.1% | rising |
| 62 | Ecuador | 9,251 | 2027 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 63 | Sri Lanka | 8,959 | 2027 | down 0.8% | rising |
| 64 | Malawi | 8,837 | 2027 | up 39.4% | rising |
| 65 | Yemen | 8,619 | 2027 | up 37.3% | rising |
| 66 | Zambia | 8,596 | 2027 | up 51.6% | rising |
| 67 | Nepal | 8,462 | 2027 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 68 | Romania | 8,098 | 2027 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 69 | Guatemala | 8,021 | 2027 | up 22.9% | rising |
| 70 | United Arab Emirates | 7,786 | 2027 | up 28.6% | volatile |
| 71 | Bolivia | 7,271 | 2027 | up 37.2% | rising |
| 72 | Zimbabwe | 7,268 | 2027 | up 31.1% | rising |
| 73 | Syria | 7,259 | 2027 | up 64.8% | rising |
| 74 | Chad | 7,097 | 2027 | up 45.5% | rising |
| 75 | Benin | 7,055 | 2027 | up 38.8% | rising |
| 76 | Burundi | 6,756 | 2027 | up 40.8% | rising |
| 77 | Senegal | 6,524 | 2027 | up 57.4% | rising |
| 78 | Caribbean | 20,046 | 2027 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 78 | Rwanda | 6,187 | 2027 | up 41.0% | rising |
| 79 | Sweden | 5,787 | 2027 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 80 | Dominican Republic | 5,679 | 2027 | up 19.4% | rising |
| 81 | Haiti | 5,442 | 2027 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 82 | Belgium | 5,370 | 2027 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 83 | Czechia | 5,367 | 2027 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 84 | Azerbaijan | 5,222 | 2027 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 85 | Portugal | 5,216 | 2027 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 86 | Switzerland | 5,086 | 2027 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 87 | South Sudan | 5,070 | 2023 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 88 | Guinea | 4,973 | 2027 | up 29.5% | rising |
| 89 | Hungary | 4,951 | 2027 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 90 | Cuba | 4,758 | 2027 | down 9.1% | rising |
| 91 | Israel | 4,698 | 2027 | up 19.6% | rising |
| 92 | Belarus | 4,653 | 2027 | down 8.7% | flat |
| 93 | Austria | 4,641 | 2027 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 94 | Honduras | 4,519 | 2027 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 95 | Greece | 4,438 | 2027 | down 5.5% | rising |
| 96 | Tunisia | 4,321 | 2027 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 97 | Papua New Guinea | 3,926 | 2027 | up 31.8% | rising |
| 98 | Somalia | 3,793 | 2027 | up 41.8% | rising |
| 99 | Laos | 3,788 | 2027 | up 33.8% | rising |
| 100 | Singapore | 3,691 | 2027 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 101 | Hong Kong | 3,663 | 2027 | down 8.0% | rising |
| 102 | Paraguay | 3,633 | 2027 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 103 | Togo | 3,607 | 2027 | up 31.2% | rising |
| 104 | Nicaragua | 3,448 | 2027 | up 21.9% | rising |
| 105 | Jordan | 3,367 | 2027 | up 24.1% | rising |
| 106 | Serbia | 3,348 | 2027 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 107 | Denmark | 3,301 | 2027 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 108 | Bulgaria | 3,160 | 2027 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 109 | Norway | 3,122 | 2027 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 110 | Kuwait | 3,114 | 2027 | up 29.9% | volatile |
| 111 | Sierra Leone | 3,078 | 2027 | up 29.3% | rising |
| 112 | New Zealand | 3,072 | 2027 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 113 | El Salvador | 3,060 | 2027 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 114 | Oman | 3,022 | 2027 | up 21.2% | volatile |
| 115 | Kyrgyzstan | 2,962 | 2027 | up 23.5% | rising |
| 116 | Ireland | 2,882 | 2027 | up 22.4% | rising |
| 117 | Finland | 2,872 | 2027 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 118 | Liberia | 2,834 | 2027 | up 31.3% | rising |
| 119 | Congo | 2,815 | 2027 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 120 | Tajikistan | 2,770 | 2027 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 121 | Slovakia | 2,750 | 2027 | up 0.0% | rising |
| 122 | Libya | 2,684 | 2027 | up 16.3% | rising |
| 123 | Costa Rica | 2,475 | 2027 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 124 | Qatar | 2,371 | 2027 | up 16.1% | volatile |
| 125 | Panama | 2,361 | 2027 | up 20.4% | rising |
| 126 | Turkmenistan | 2,287 | 2027 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 127 | Central African Republic | 2,253 | 2027 | up 25.6% | rising |
| 128 | Georgia | 1,958 | 2027 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 129 | Eritrea | 1,868 | 2027 | up 29.2% | rising |
| 130 | Lebanon | 1,837 | 2023 | down 6.6% | rising |
| 131 | Uruguay | 1,820 | 2027 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 132 | Moldova | 1,725 | 2027 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 133 | Croatia | 1,699 | 2027 | down 5.1% | falling |
| 134 | Jamaica | 1,625 | 2027 | up 13.1% | rising |
| 135 | Lithuania | 1,486 | 2027 | up 1.8% | falling |
| 136 | Albania | 1,483 | 2027 | up 7.8% | flat |
| 137 | Mongolia | 1,465 | 2027 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 138 | Palestine | 1,463 | 2022 | up 41.4% | rising |
| 139 | Armenia | 1,386 | 2027 | down 2.7% | falling |
| 140 | Mauritania | 1,327 | 2027 | up 37.4% | rising |
| 141 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,308 | 2027 | down 10.2% | falling |
| 142 | Botswana | 1,253 | 2027 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 143 | Puerto Rico | 1,234 | 2027 | up 13.0% | falling |
| 144 | Namibia | 1,210 | 2027 | up 27.7% | rising |
| 145 | Slovenia | 1,029 | 2027 | up 0.2% | rising |
| 146 | Bahrain | 979.76 | 2027 | up 13.8% | rising |
| 147 | Guinea-Bissau | 953.73 | 2027 | up 38.3% | rising |
| 148 | Latvia | 929.81 | 2027 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 149 | Lesotho | 915.18 | 2027 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 150 | Gabon | 878.87 | 2027 | up 26.0% | rising |
| 151 | Gambia | 857.42 | 2027 | up 34.6% | rising |
| 152 | Cyprus | 777.67 | 2027 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 153 | North Macedonia | 775.24 | 2027 | down 8.9% | flat |
| 154 | Equatorial Guinea | 769.26 | 2027 | up 30.1% | rising |
| 155 | Estonia | 729.75 | 2027 | up 4.6% | flat |
| 156 | Trinidad and Tobago | 715.87 | 2027 | down 0.3% | rising |
| 157 | East Timor | 667.78 | 2027 | up 27.9% | rising |
| 158 | Mauritius | 631.41 | 2027 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 159 | Solomon Islands | 476.34 | 2027 | up 35.9% | rising |
| 160 | Eswatini | 445.08 | 2027 | up 18.1% | rising |
| 161 | Bhutan | 421.58 | 2027 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 162 | Macao | 420.81 | 2027 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 163 | Fiji | 395.86 | 2027 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 164 | Luxembourg | 355.98 | 2027 | up 21.2% | rising |
| 165 | Guyana | 331.71 | 2027 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 166 | Comoros | 328.39 | 2027 | up 45.1% | rising |
| 167 | Malta | 305.43 | 2027 | up 31.7% | rising |
| 168 | Montenegro | 295.53 | 2027 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 169 | Maldives | 280.29 | 2027 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 170 | Djibouti | 276.79 | 2027 | up 21.0% | rising |
| 171 | Western Sahara | 273.75 | 2027 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 172 | Suriname | 263.41 | 2027 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 173 | Iceland | 250.5 | 2027 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 174 | Bahamas | 247.09 | 2027 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 175 | Brunei | 240.28 | 2027 | up 10.2% | rising |
| 176 | Cape Verde | 233.52 | 2027 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 177 | Belize | 190.45 | 2027 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 178 | Barbados | 150.76 | 2027 | down 0.0% | rising |
| 179 | New Caledonia | 132.64 | 2027 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 180 | Vanuatu | 127.06 | 2027 | up 24.5% | rising |
| 181 | French Polynesia | 120.93 | 2027 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 182 | Saint Lucia | 102.55 | 2027 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 183 | Guam | 79.54 | 2027 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 184 | Samoa | 58.01 | 2027 | down 16.0% | rising |
| 185 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 53.2 | 2027 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 186 | United States Virgin Islands | 37.44 | 2027 | down 18.5% | falling |
| 187 | Sao Tome and Principe | 36.73 | 2027 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 188 | Tonga | 33.51 | 2027 | down 8.0% | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- World 3.86 million
- G20 3.10 million
- World excluding India and China 2.45 million
- G7 405,962
- Asia and the Pacific 2.15 million
- Chagai 86.19
- World excluding BRICS 1.94 million
- BRICS 1.92 million
- APEC 1.60 million
- World: Upper-middle income 1.46 million
- World: Lower-middle income 1.36 million
- Asia and the Pacific: Upper-middle income 1.01 million
- Asia and the Pacific: Lower-middle income 974,717
- Eastern Asia 906,162
- Southern Asia 860,076
- Southern Asia: Lower-middle income 819,897
- Eastern Asia: Upper-middle income 773,276
- World: High income 733,222
- World: Lower-middle income excluding India 726,897
- World: Upper-middle income excluding China 686,419
- Africa 649,295
- Sub-Saharan Africa 564,978
- Americas 532,407
- Europe and Central Asia 452,116
- South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific 388,538
- South-Eastern Asia 365,109
- ASEAN 364,441
- Europe and Central Asia: High income 339,691
- Africa: Lower-middle income 339,672
- Latin America and the Caribbean 331,299
- World: Low income 305,627
- Americas: Upper-middle income 290,727
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Upper-middle income 290,727
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower-middle income 284,510
- Africa: Low income 261,934
- European Union 28 254,923
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Low income 249,290
- Eastern Africa 232,797
- Northern, Southern and Western Europe 226,849
- South America 223,872
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.